


Trafficked

by jbs2ndmom



Category: GOT7, got7 jb - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Military, Angst, Asia, Asian Character(s), Asian-American Character, Best Friends, Chases, Child Abandonment, Crime Fighting, Crimes & Criminals, Deception, Drama, Drama & Romance, Drugs, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Guns, Human Trafficking, Korean-American Character, Legal Drama, Light Angst, Military, Multi, Organized Crime, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 52,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26189572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jbs2ndmom/pseuds/jbs2ndmom
Summary: Jaebeom (JB of GOT7) is a dual US/Korean citizen assigned to the USAF Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corp in this alternate universe (AU) legal drama. Newly assigned to the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base in South Korea, Jaebeom joins forces with Capt. Alex Stark to uncover the mastermind behind a drug and human trafficking ring that involves people from both the States and Korea. But, is Jaebeom really one of the good guys or has he been compromised?
Relationships: Im Jaebum | JB/Everyone, Im Jaebum | JB/Jackson Wang, Im Jaebum | JB/Kim Yugyeom, Im Jaebum | JB/Original Character(s), Im Jaebum | JB/Park Jinyoung, Kunpimook Bhuwakul | BamBam/Kim Yugyeom
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	1. Prequel

**Author's Note:**

> This JB (GOT7) AU fanfiction has been completed. New chapters will be uploaded every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you are in a rush to read it all now, you may do so by joining the Im Jaebeom (JB) Amino community on the Amino App.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS: 
> 
> Please read with caution. This is a PG13+ AU. Some material may cause discomfort or be inappropriate for people even in this age range based on personal experience and sensitivities. 
> 
> This AU, while having a backdrop of human and drug trafficking, in no way glorifies illegal activity. The emphasis is to highlight the problem of drug use/distribution, mistreatment and disrespect of women in general and specifically in sex trafficking. It also is intended to emphasis legality over any illegal activity including misuse of weapons, authority, or violence. 
> 
> Other triggers include mention of trafficking, racial epithets, death in accidents, emotionally abusive parents, abandonment, animal injury, cheating, flirting scenes, fight scenes, abduction, suggestion of sex, breaking up, cheating, sexual harassment, and weapons use.

Jaebeom clenched his jaw, jutted out his chin subconsciously like he always did when feeling challenged or defiant and refused to blink, not like anyone would know if he did blink given how small his eyes were on a good day. The room was dimly lit, but the gun pointed at him by the full bird colonel was clearly visible and the threat was palatable.

"Not sure I can trust you, Capt. Im," said Col. Lumbard matter of factly.

"Well then," offered Jaebeom in a tone he hoped would sound nonchalant and unperturbed. "How about I demonstrate it to you? I assume getting you the diamonds back should suffice as proof of my allegiance."

This retort was said as a statement, rather than a question asking permission to proceed. So Jaebeom turned his back to the gun wielding Security Forces Commander and sauntered confidently towards the figure tied up to a chair in the center of the room. Jaebeom knew the weapon was still trained on him, so every move he made was calculated to change the dynamics of the situation.

Leaning over the seated captive in the center of the dilapidated warehouse, Jaebeom placed his hands on the arm rests next to the struggling wrists which were securely fastened there. In a deep voice that sounded even more threatening because it was delivered in a low volume, he prompted, "So Stark. Where are the diamonds?"

The bound and gagged captain uttered what closely resembled a growl of defiance at him.

Jaebeom smirked. His crooked smile, that could look playful at times, looked more like the twisted grin of the Joker relishing the fact that he was in control. Removing the gag, he asked the question again, but instead of a verbal response, he ended up with spit trickling down his face.

Jaebeom pulled his arm back as if to strike, but thought better of it. Instead he wiped off the offending saliva and laughed in a crazed, almost maniacal way. Capt. Stark replied with a level tone, "Why would I tell you? Then there'd be no reason to keep me alive."

Jaebeom grinned, almost as though he enjoyed the logic of this statement, before assuring the other that there were plenty of other things they could do that were far worse than killing. When this reminder was received with an intrepid response consisting of a dismissive shoulder shrug, Jaebeom casually pulled out his phone.

"Let's see how brave you are when someone you care about is at risk of death then," he sneered as he dialed a number.

After a few rings, the line was answered on the other end.

"You have him, right? Good." Turning he asked, "Want to check to see?"

White faced and clearly taken aback by the unanticipated power play, Stark listened intently then spoke into the receiver, "Chris? Chris? Are you okay?"

"So? Will you tell me now? Where - Are - The - Diamonds?"

"Okay. I'll tell you, but I need assurances that he won't be harmed," came the response that was more tempered and subdued.

Jaebeom nodded his head in assent and pressed for details.

"I put them in Hanger 10, on base, during the Combat Dining In. But, you'll have to take me there. That's all I'll tell you for now. You could tear the place apart, but without me you'll never find them before a week's out, because the package was small, and I hid them very well and in an inconspicuous spot. I'll only tell you when we get there and I know Chris is safe."

Turning to the colonel with the gun, Jaebeom raised an eyebrow to gain approval to proceed.

"Go ahead," came the terse response, gun still trained at Jaebeom's head.

As Jaebeom began untying the feet and then hands of his captive, he heard the cynical words, "To think I thought we were friends," being spoken, followed by another comment that was barely a whispers. Looking up, Jaebeom raised a single eyebrow in response.

Once the bonds were freed, Stark stood up. Stretching a bit to reestablish circulation at the extremities, a few pops could be heard as both knuckles and neck were cracked. One last sigh of release was given then, turning towards Jaebeom, quick as a flash a fist flew fast and hard against his jaw snapping his neck to the side before he even knew what hit him.

"That's for Chris," was the comment before the two Asian males standing behind moved forward rapidly to restrain the captain's arms to prevent further assault. The shorter of the two threw the captain to the ground, while the dark haired male grabbed a handful of hair, slamming the pinned captive's head against the warehouse's concrete floor until there was no further resistance.

Jaebeom nursed his aching jaw, but took no further action other than menacingly commenting in the direction of the three people on the floor, "I won't forget that." Turning, he noted that the colonel had lowered his gun and was chuckling.


	2. Glossary & Acronym Guide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Trafficked" is a military and legal AU featuring Jaebeom. Many of the terms and expressions are unique to those professions. In an effort to keep the story flowing, some expressions are not explained in the body of the storyline. While I attempted to make the story flow, even with limited exposure to these terms, this link may help those who wish more details and specifics.
> 
> Please refer back to this any time you feel it might be helpful or will enhance your understanding of the story.
> 
> This is a suplement guide for those looking to "dive deeper" into the military and legal way of life and jargon. If this is too overwhelming for you (TMI) just skip this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the information will enhance a few chapters, but a reminder of that will be given at the start of those chapters.

**GLOSSARY & ACRONYM GUIDE**

USAF Officer and Enlisted Ranks and Insignia

A  
• AB - Air Base (usually used for overseas locations)  
• ABU - Airman Battle Uniform

• ACC - Air Combat Command  
• ADC - Area Defense Counsel  
• ADSC - Active Duty Service Commitment  
• AFB - Air Force Base (usually used for Stateside bases)  
• AFCM - Air Force Commendation Medal  
• AFOOC - Air Force Officer Orientation Course (pronounced A-fook). Also see "Knife and Fork School"  
• AFSC - Air Force Specialty Code AKA job description like pilot, JAG, administration, security forces, etc.  
• AWOL - Absent Without Leave (Pronounced A-wall)

B  
• Bag - Flight suit  
• BCD - Bad Conduct Discharge. Colloquially referred to as a "big chicken dinner", from the initials, a BCD can only be given by a court-martial (either special or general) as punishment to an enlisted service-member. Bad conduct discharges are often preceded by a period of confinement in a military prison. The discharge itself is not executed until completion of both confinement and the appellate review process. Virtually all veterans' benefits are forfeited by a Bad Conduct Discharge; BCD recipients are not eligible for VA disability compensation in accordance with 38 CFR 3.12.  
• Bird Colonel - a Colonel (O-6), whose insignia is an eagle, as opposed to a Lieutenant Colonel ("light colonel"), who wears silver oak leaves. Also called a Full Bird Colonel  
• BOQ - Bachelor Officer Quarters often referred to as simply the Q.  
• BPZ - Below Primary Zone; early promotion of an officer ahead of peers to controlled statutory pay grades of O-4, O-5 and/or O-6. Referred to as BTZ for Below the Zone  
• BX - Base Exchange (pronounces Bee Ex) Similar to a Target or Walmart, though absent the food items.

C  
• Career Management - Military human resources  
• CC - Commander  
• CCE - Executive Officer often referred to as the XO  
• First Sergeant - Often referred to as the "first shirt", or "shirt", the first sergeant is responsible for the morale, welfare, and conduct of all the enlisted members in a squadron and is the chief adviser to the squadron commander concerning the enlisted force.  
• CD - Deputy Commander  
• CE - Civil Engineering or Civil Engineers  
• CES - Civil Engineering Squadron  
• CGO - Company Grade Officer (lieutenants and captains)  
• Chief - Proper term of address for Chief Master Sergeant. Also frequently used by pilots to informally refer to maintenance personnel, specifically "Crew Chiefs."  
• Class A Uniform - Air Force dark blue uniform with light blue shirt and neck tie/tab

• CMSAF - Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force; senior active duty enlisted member of the Air Force and a direct advisor to CSAF (holds enlisted pay grade E-9)  
• Combat Dining In - The format and sequence of events are built around the traditional dining-in, however, it's far less formal atmosphere and combat dress requirements (flight-suit, ABUs) have made it very appealing to the masses. Usually more bawdy and involves many drinking games and other activities often including water gun fights and "Aircraft Carrier Landings." See the following link for a video that may give a glimpse into some of the antics. [[Kunsan Combat Dining In]](https://youtu.be/0M9Mcci3KLo)

• Commissary - Military grocery store  
• CONUS - Continental United States  
• Cover - Military term for uniform head gear  
• Crud - team game played on a Pool, Snooker or Billiard table in which no pool cues are used. Often involves full body contact and drinking games components. For detailed instructions go to: [Crud Instructions](http://www.aewa.org/Library/crud2.html) To watch a sample of Crude go [HERE](https://youtu.be/rCaDPBCcDoE)

D  
• DAS - Date Arrived Station  
• DBA - Dirtbag Airman (An Airman who does not represent the Air Force Core Values)  
• DD - A dishonorable discharge (DD) can only be handed down to a military member by a general court-martial. Dishonorable discharges are handed down for what the military considers the most reprehensible conduct. This type of discharge may be rendered only by conviction at a general court-martial for very serious offenses (e.g., treason, espionage, desertion, sexual assault, murder) that call for dishonorable discharge as part of the sentence.  
• DEROS - Date Estimated Return from Overseas  
• Dependent - Non-Military family member of a service member, typically a non-military spouse and/or children, entitled to a DD 1173 Military Dependent ID Card  
• DFAS - Defense Finance and Accounting Service (Pronounced D-Fass)  
• Dining In - a formal dinner for the members of a wing, unit, or organization. Although a dining-in is traditionally a unit function, attendance by other smaller units may be appropriate.  
• Dining Out - a relatively new custom that includes spouses and guests. It is similar in all other respects to a dining-in.  
• DOR - Date of Rank

E  
• EAD - Extended Active Duty

F  
• Farts and darts - clouds and darts embroidery found on field grade and general officers' service cap visors  
• FGO - Field Grade Officer (majors, lieutenant colonels, and colonels)  
*FMJ - Full Metal Jacket is a type of bullet used primarily on gun ranges and for target practice.  
• FOUO - For Official Use Only  
• FS - Fighter Squadron  
*FTX Bullets - also known as hollow point bullets have more more penetration ability that FMJ rounds  
• FUBAR - F'd Up Beyond All Recognition. Pronounced "Foobar"  
• FW - Fighter Wing

G  
• GO - General Officer; officers in pay grades O-7, O-8, O-9 and O-10 - analogous to Flag Officer in USN and USCG  
•Glock - A firearm brand. The version used by Jackson is a Glock 43 semi-automatic 9mm pistol

• Grog Bowl - Usually an alcoholic drink dispenser, often shaped like or an actual (clean and unused) toilet bowl

H  
• HAF - Headquarters Air Force  
• Hash House - "A drinking club with a running problem"

I  
• IG - Inspector General

J  
• JA - Judge Advocate  
• JAG - Judge Advocate General - legal officers. Pronounced as "Jag". See also TJAG  
• JAG Badge - silver badge worn to show the individual is a JAG  
• JEEP - Just Enough Education To Pass  
• Juicy girl - Slang used for girls working in hostess and other bars who serve drinks and potentially more on the side. The term comes from going up to guys and asking them to "Buy me juicy," referring to an over-priced fruit drink to rack up bar sales.

K  
• KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid  
• Knife and Fork School - The shortened Officer Candidate School that doctors, nurses, dentists and hospital administrators go to prior to receiving their commissioning. So-called because of the belief that all they learn there are social graces and not "real" military training.

L  
• LOAC - Law of Armed Conflict. Pronounced "Low Ack"  
• LOM - Law Office Manager. Senior enlisted paralegal in a JAG office. Overseas personnel management of paralegals and is akin to the "shirt" to the SJA.  
• LOR - Letter of Reprimand.  
• LT - Familiar term for a Lieutenant, Second or First; usually used as a form of address by those under his/her command (pronounced ELL-TEE)

M  
• MAJCOM - Major Command- Pronounced "Madge Com" It describes either a geographical grouping of bases or basis with specific focuses.  
• MCM - The Manual for Courts-Martial is the official guide to the conduct of courts-martial in the United States military. The MCM contains five parts plus 22 appendices:  
• Part I is the Preamble, which gives background and jurisdictional information  
• Part II explains the Rules for Courts-martial (Rules 101 through 1307)  
• Part III lays out the Military Rules of Evidence (Rules 101 through 1103)  
• Part IV sets forth the elements and punishments of offenses (Punitive Articles, paragraphs 101 through 108)  
• Part V provides guidelines for the imposition of non-judicial punishment (NJP)  
• Appendices provide the Constitution of the United States, the UCMJ itself, analysis of the Parts, historical Executive Orders, forms, etc.  
• MLC - Medical Law Consultant. A Staff Judge Advocate assigned as the in house counsel for one of nine major military hospitals. Report directly to the hospital commander as opposed to the Base Staff Judge. Responsible for medical malpractice defense of claims brought against the USAF, credentialing of staff, risk management, JCAHO Accreditation preparation, preventive medical law, and bioethics and patients' rights. Specialty consultant to installations with smaller medical facilities. assisting claims officers with cases and providing annual training for medical staff.  
•MSM - The Meritorious Service Medal is a military award presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States. Usually awarded to field grade officers (FGOs) and above.  
• MWR - Morale, Welfare and Recreation

N  
• NAF - Numbered Air Force  
• NEX - Naval Exchange (Navy equivalent to the BX)  
• NCO - Non-commissioned Officer  
• NCOIC - Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge

O  
• OCONUS - Outside the Continental United States  
• O-Club - short form used for the Officer's Club, a base lounge/bar for officers only  
• OIC - Officer in Command  
• OPR - Officer Performance Report - write ups done to show the performance of active duty officers, usually done every 6 months by the immediate superior of the individual. In truth, the officer usually writes their own OPR and the superior endorses with minor improvements, personal touches, or downgrades the content.  
• OPSEC - Operations Security  
• OSI - Office of Special Investigation

• OTS - Officer Training School

P  
• PA - Public Affairs  
• PACAF - Pacific Air Forces - Pronounced "Pack Aff". Pacific Air Command Air Force. Bases are located in: Guam, Philippine Islands, Hawaii, Korea, Japan, and Alaska (Elmendorf NORAD)

• PCS - Permanent Change of Station. Often used as a verb to indicating changing duty station.  
• PDS - Permanent Duty Station  
• Pickle - Airman Basic with no insignia. See also "Slick Sleeve'"  
• PME - Professional Military Education  
• Pop Tart - Airman whose technical career schools are 6 weeks or less

Q  
• Q - Common expression for Bachelor Officer or Enlisted Quarters

R  
• RED HORSE - Short for Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers who are basically civil engineers with a combat heavy construction focus.

• RET, Ret, (Ret) - Designations for retired military personnel, typically following the service designation in a title, e.g., Col USAF (Ret)  
• RNLTD - Report No Later Than Date  
• ROAD - Retired On Active Duty, meaning they are not retired but doing nothing worthwhile.  
• ROK - pronounced rock and stands for Republic of South Korea  
• ROKAF JAG - pronounced Rock Aff Jag and stands for Republic of (South) Korea Air Force Judge Advocate General  
• RTB - Return To Base

S  
• Secret Squirrel stuff - Material classified above secret or special compartmentalized information.  
• Senior - Informal shortening for Senior Master Sergeant  
• SERE - Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape  
• SF - Security Forces  
• SFS - Security Forces Squadron  
• Shirt - Respectful term to address an Air Force unit first sergeant  
• Shopette - small convenience store open 24/7 that has many of the items you would normally find at a 7/11 or Circle K  
• Short - Close to a PCS date or retirement  
• Single Digit Midget - someone who has less than 10 days before PCSing.  
• Six, six and a kick -Six months confinement, six months loss of pay, reduction in grade to E-1, Bad Conduct Discharge; formerly the most severe penalty that could be awarded by a special court martial. A special court martial can now adjudge 12 months confinement.  
• Slick Sleeve - Nickname for an Airman Basic (owing to the absence of rank insignia on an individual's sleeve) See also 'Pickle"  
•Smith & Wesson - a brand of fire arm. The one used by Jinyoung in this story is a Model 69 Combat Magnum .44 Mag Double-action L-Frame revolver with a 5 shot cylinder  
• SJA - Staff Judge Advocate at base level  
• SME - Subject Matter Expert  
• SNAFU - Situation Normal All F'ed Up  
• SNCO - Senior Non-commissioned Officer; enlisted pay grades E-7, E-8 and E-9  
• SOP - Standard Operating Procedure  
• SOFA - Status of Forces Agreement. Sets out the rules when interacting with foreign nations, often in combat areas.  
• SOS - Squadron Officer School  
• Sq - Squadron  
• Staff - Informal shortening for Staff Sergeant  
• SWAG - Scientific Wild-Ass Guess

T  
• TJAG - The Judge Advocate General of the USAG  
• TDY - Temporary Duty; analogous to Temporary Additional Duty  
• TLF - Temporary Living Facility

U  
• UCMJ - Uniform Code of Military Conduct. The foundation of military law in the United States. It was established by the United States Congress in accordance with the authority given by the United States Constitution in Article I, Section 8, which provides that "The Congress shall have Power....To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval forces". It lists all criminal offense and the elements of each offense needing to be proven for a finding of guilty.  
• UIF - unfavorable information file  
• USAF - United States Air Force

• UXO - Unexplored Ordinance, in short bomb squad stuff.

V  
• VAQ - visiting airman quarters  
• VOQ - visiting officer quarters

W  
• WG - wing

X  
• XO - Executive Office. Akin to a high level executive secretary.

Z  
• Zero - officer  
• Zoo - nickname for the Air Force Academy  
• Zoomie - nickname for an Air Force Academy graduate or cadet

MILITARY INSTALLATION INFORMATION

Osan Specific information relevant to this fanfic: The Numbered Air Force (NAF) under which the 51st Fighter Wing (51 FW) falls is the Seventh Air Force (7 AF). The Seventh Air Force's command mission is to plan and direct air component operations in the Republic of Korea and in the Northwest Pacific. The Wing and the NAF are collocated on the same installation along with the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) Air Force Operations Command (공군작전사령부).

Seventh Air Force is part of the Major Command (MAJCOM) known as Pacific Air Command (PACAF). Seventh Air Force's command mission is to plan and direct air component operations in the Republic of Korea and in the Northwest Pacific. In this fanfic, this is what was being compromised by the drug and human trafficking ring hosted out Osan, which infiltrated base level, NAF, and ROKAF personnel. The impact to the mission could have ramifications for the safety of the entire Korean Peninsula.

APPLICABLE UCMJ OFFENSES

Criminal offenses as set out in the UCMJ that are referenced in this fanfic include the following. A basic understanding of them will be understood in the body of the story line, but the following is offered for those who have an interest in the details of the offenses, the prosecutorial obligation of proving the elements, and the potential sentences and consequences if found guilty.

All articles refer to articles in the UCMJ and would be referred to formerly as Art #X of the UCMJ when speaking about them.

Art 56(b)(b)

The offenses carrying a mandatory minimum sentence are:  
1\. Rape under Art 120  
2\. Sexual assault under Art 120  
3\. Rape of a child under Art 120b  
4\. Sexual assault of a child under Art 120b  
5\. Attempt to commit any of the above four offenses under Art 80  
6\. Conspiracy to commit any of the four offenses under Art 81

Mandatory minimum: Dismissal or DD

Article 81 of the UCMJ deals with conspiracy, and states that the conspirator(s) shall receive punishment as deemed fit by a court-martial.  
The following are recognized by the UCMJ as elements of a conspiracy:  
• The accused enters into an accord/agreement with other people to hatch a conspiracy; and  
• While the agreement continues to exist with the accused being one of the parties to it, they or one of their co-conspirators performs an overt act to effect the proposed mission of the plan/conspiracy.  
Explanation of the Important Terms of the Code  
• Co-conspirators: A conspiracy can only be hatched by a group of persons - two or more. For the purposes of trial, it's not important to ascertain the identity of the accused's co-conspirators, or even their role in the criminal act. The accused has to be subjected to the military code, but it may not necessarily apply on other conspirators.  
• A person can be guilty under the code, although they are incapable of carrying out the intended violation. For instance, a conspirator under medical supervision at a hospital may knowingly provide automobiles for use in a bank heist.  
• If a new member were to join the conspirators, after they have established the conspiracy, this does not amount to creation of a new conspiracy. It's extremely important to bear in mind that a conspirator who joins a conspiracy that's being planned, can only be convicted if an overt act is committed to further the objective of the conspiratorial agreement.  
• Agreement: There's no need for any formal manifestations of the agreement between the accused and other conspirators; it's sufficient that the parties have a mutual understanding of the goal of their conspiracy. Conduct plays an important role in establishing the accused's participation in the conspiracy. The ways and means to accomplish the intended end, and specific role of each conspirator do not need to be the part of the agreement.  
• Object of the Agreement: Court-martial on the charge of conspiracy requires commissioning of offenses under this chapter of the UCMJ. If two or more people agree to commit multiple offenses, it's ordinarily counted as one conspiracy. Offenses such as bigamy, adultery, bribery and engaging in a duel, where only the people involved in the offense are party to the agreement do not qualify for court-martial under this code.  
• Overt act: An act that isn't the part of the original conspiracy but is carried out by the accused or other conspirators in furtherance of the intended objective of their agreement is known as an overt act. The law does not require it to be criminal in nature, just that it's a manifestation of the conspiracy. An experienced military lawyer can explain the complexities surrounding your case, and help you see the bigger picture.

Punishment  
A person found guilty of taking part in a conspiracy is awarded the maximum punishment for their offense; however the accused can't be given death penalty. The punishments usually awarded to service members include imposition of fine, reduction in rank and punitive discharge from services.

Article 134

Pandering by inducing, enticing or procuring an act of prostitution is a violation of Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). To convict you of pandering, the prosecutor must prove that you (1) induced, enticed or procured another individual to engage in sexual intercourse for hire; (2) that the act was wrongful; and (3) that the conduct was service discrediting or prejudicial to good order and discipline in the armed forces.

Inducing, enticing or procuring prostitution means that you persuaded, coaxed, solicited or caused an act of sexual intercourse for hire to occur. Sexual intercourse, or any penetration of the female sex organ by the penis, must have occurred. The compensation for the sexual act need not be money to qualify as prostitution, other valuable consideration is possible. For the act to be wrongful there must not have been a legal justification or excuse.

Pandering requires three people: the panderer, the prostitute and the customer. If only two people are involved, the offense is solicitation to commit prostitution.

The prosecutor must also prove that the conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline, which means that the adultery had an obvious and measurable effect on morale, discipline, or unit cohesion or had a detrimental impact on the authority or esteem of a service member. Alternately, the prosecutor must prove that the adultery was service discrediting, meaning that because of the open and notorious nature of the allegation, it lowered the service in the public esteem, brought the service into disrepute or made it subject to public ridicule.

Pandering is a very serious charge. Convictions for pandering may result in a dishonorable discharge, reduction to E-1 and up to 5 years in prison.

Under Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) all rape charges and sexual offenses are defined. You could be charged with rape if you used force or fear, caused bodily harm toward the victim or rendered the victim unconscious through use of drug or intoxicated in order to perform an unwanted sexual act.

These accusations could have happened while you were on-duty or off and between two military personnel or between an enlisted individual and a civilian.

Charges of rape are taken very seriously and you may risk losing your career and ranking and be dishonorably discharged if you are found guilty. A conviction of rape will also cause serious complications in a civilian life, making jobs and housing difficult to obtain. You may also be forced to register yourself as a convicted sex offender for the rest of your life on a national public registry.

Offenses under Article 120c Other Sexual Misconduct

Indecent viewing, visual recording or broadcasting:

An individual is liable to be punished under this offense, if he/she committed the following acts without lawful authorization or legal justification:

1\. Intentionally and wrongfully viewed the intimate areas of another person without the person's consent, and in a situation where the person's expectation of privacy was reasonable. Here, reasonable expectation of privacy refers to circumstances in which the person believes he/she could undress in privacy, without worrying about the capture of his/her private area; and circumstances in which the person believes his/her private area would not be in full public view.

2\. Photographed, filmed or recorded another person's private area without the person's consent, and in a situation where the person's expectation of privacy was reasonable. Here, 'private area' refers to the nude or underwear/lingerie-clad buttocks, genitalia, anus, or female nipple/areola.

3\. Broadcasted or distributed the recordings as mentioned in (1) and (2).

Forcible pandering: An individual is liable to be punished upon the direction of the court-martial if he/she forces another person to engage in an act of prostitution. Here, 'prostitution' refers to sexual contact or a sexual act that is caused/delivered in exchange for anything of value.

Indecent exposure: An individual can be charged with indecent exposure if he/she exposes his/her anus, genitalia, buttocks, female nipple or areola, in an indecent way, at any place where the conduct may be said to occur in the view of people other than the individual's family.

To be deemed 'indecent exposure', the act must also be intentional. Here, 'indecent way' makes reference to an explicitly obscene or vulgar manner of performing the act.

Punishment for Offenses under Article 120c Other Sexual Misconduct

Each of the four offenses discussed above are punishable by punitive discharge, confinement and forfeitures. In the event of a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge, convicted servicemen stand to lose all veteran benefits.

• Servicemen convicted of forcible pandering receive a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge, confinement of up to 5 years and a loss of total pay and allowances.  
• Indecent exposure attracts one year in military prison, forfeiture of full pay, and a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge.

Offenses under Article 112a include:  
1\. Wrongful possession of controlled substance  
a. That the accused possessed a certain amount of a controlled substance; and  
b. That the possession by the accused was wrongful.

2\. Wrongful use of controlled substance  
a. That the accused used a controlled substance; and  
b. That the use by the accused was wrongful

3\. Wrongful distribution of controlled substance  
a. That the accused distributed a certain amount of a controlled substance; and  
b. That the distribution by the accused was wrongful

4\. Wrongful introduction of a controlled substance  
a. That the accused introduced onto a vessel, aircraft, vehicle, or installation used by the armed forces or under the control of the armed forces a certain amount of a controlled substance; and  
b. That the introduction was wrongful

5\. Wrongful manufacture of a controlled substance  
a. That the accused manufactured a certain amount of a controlled substance; and  
b. That the manufacturer was wrongful

6\. Wrongful possession, manufacture, or introduction of a controlled substance with intent to distribute  
a. That the accused (possessed) (manufactured) (introduced) a certain amount of a controlled substance;  
b. That the (possession) (manufacture) (introduction) was wrongful; and  
c. That the (possession) (manufacture) (introduction) was with the intent to distribute

7\. Wrongful importation or exportation of a controlled substance  
a. That the accused (imported into the customs territory of) (exported from) the United States a certain amount of a controlled substance; and  
b. That the (importation) (exportation) was wrongful  
Wrongful use, possession, manufacture, or introduction of a controlled substance:  
• Reduction to E-1  
• Forfeiture of all pay and allowances  
• Confinement for 5 years  
• Dishonorable discharge  
(Note: Sentencing is typically dramatically reduced if the charges are related to marijuana)

Wrongful distribution, possession, manufacture, or introduction of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, or wrongful importation or exportation of a controlled substance:  
• Reduction to E-1  
• Forfeiture of all pay and allowances  
• Confinement for 15 years  
• Dishonorable discharge  
(Note: Phenobarbital and Schedule IV and V controlled substances reduce the maximum possible confinement period to 10 years)

Article 134 - Kidnapping

Paragraph 92 of the Manual for Court Martial deals with the charge of kidnapping. All neglects and disorders which are adverse to the discipline and order found in the armed forces and all conduct which can bring discredit to the armed forces or any offenses and crimes which are not capital, can be punished by convening a court martial.  
Elements of the offense  
1\. The accused confined, seized, decoyed, carried away or inveighed a certain individual.  
2\. The individual was then held against his will, by the accused.  
3\. The accused committed the act wrongfully and willfully.  
4\. In these circumstances, the accused's conduct was adverse to the discipline and good order in the armed forces or the nature of the act brought discredit to the armed forces.

Explanation for elements

Decoy, inveigh: Decoy is defined as to lure or entice an individual by using a trick, fraud or a temptation. For example, a person who has lured a child and kidnapped him by using candy, is said to have decoyed the child.

Inveigh means to entice, lure, or lead astray by making a false representation or any other deceitful method. For example, a person who lures an individual by promising to take him to a destination, would have inveighed the individual into his car.

Wrongfully: Here, wrongfully is defined as without excuse or justification. Note that if a parent or guardian seizes and holds his or her child, it is not a wrongful act and so it is not kidnapping.

Maximum punishment for the offense  
The accused can be punished with a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of allowances and pay and life imprisonment without parole.

Article 133. Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman:

Any commissioned officer, cadet, or midshipman who is convicted of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

The elements are:  
1\. That the accused did or omitted to do certain acts; and  
2\. That, in the circumstances, these acts or omissions constituted conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman.[5]  
Here "officer" is understood to include commissioned officers, cadets, and midshipmen of both sexes, hence the more common term conduct unbecoming. A gentleman is understood to have a duty to avoid dishonest acts, displays of indecency, lawlessness, dealing unfairly, indecorum, injustice, or acts of cruelty.


	3. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebeom arrives in Korea and his background is explained.

Jaebeom made his way down the isle of the plane looking for his assigned seat. His facial features were striking, with chiseled cheekbones and classic Asian mono-lids; yet he was taller than the average Korean male and had extremely broad shoulders. Coupling his personal looks with the tailored navy blue Class A US Air Force (USAF) uniform with shiny captain's bars on his shoulders, he was truly a sight to behold; a beautiful blend of West and East that drew the attention of both Americans and Koreans on the flight bound for Seoul from the States.

Finding his seat, Jaebeom noticed a short lady struggling to heft her carry on up to the over head compartment. Becoming aware of someone behind her, the lady who was probably in her fifty's turned and, spotting the uniform, offered in broken English, "Helping pleasy?"

Jaebeom smiled, and his eyes all but disappeared into crescent slits, as he grabbed the case from the lady and offered in Korean, "I'd be happy to help." He'd smiled, not because of her attempt at English, but because regardless of how hard she might have tried she was a good six inches too short to reach the overhead bin.

"Oh!" the lady replied, also in Korean. "You're Korean?"

Jaebeom tipped his head is assent and, after securing her bag, removed his uniform jacket. Turning the jacket inside out, to protect the outside from dust and grime, he also placed it in the overhead bin and turned to sit next to the older woman.

"If you need anything from your carry on," he offered, "just let me know and I'll get it down for you."

"Oh you're so kind. But why're you wearing an American uniform when you're Korean? Why aren't you serving in the Korean military? That would have really made your parents proud," commented the woman, who seemed to think that her age afforded her the right to pry and give advice.

Jaebeom bristled just a little. He'd struggled with the fact that he wanted to keep his US citizenship and at the same time wanted to be a filial son who complied with his parents' wish for him to serve in the Korean military. Unfortunately, having both was a logistical impossibility, because South Korea required dual citizens to relinquish their other citizenship if they were going to serve. It was only four weeks before that an opportunity presented itself that allowed him to have his proverbial cake and eat it too. Recovering his facial expression quickly, Jaebeom offered, "I was born in the States, so I'm a dual citizen. Can you keep a secret? I'm actually serving in the Korean military, but I'm undercover as a US officer."

With that, Jaebeom gave the lady a wink and a smile, took out the large packet of information from his briefcase and began reading it, effectively shut down any further conversation.

The flight to Korea was long, but Jaebeom made good use of the time, alternating between reading the information from his file and sleeping so that he'd be both prepared and rested upon arrival.

Other than a few short holiday trips to visit his parents, Jaebeom hadn't been to Korea to live since middle school. When he turned 10, his parents decided that his Korean and understanding of Korean culture was sorely lacking. So, his father had asked his company for a transfer back to his home country.

Middle school in Korea was a serious culture shock for Jaebeom. His parents had been correct; his Korean was subpar and he struggled in his studies. He missed his friends in the States and was miserable. His pleas to return to the States fell on deaf ears until he made a deal. If he graduated from middle school in the top 10 percent of his school, he would be allowed to return to the States for high school where he could remain until graduation, on the proviso that his high school grades were also excellent. That was all it took to spur Jaebeom to study.

Freshman year of high school in the States was as challenging as his first year in middle school, but for totally different reasons. Classes were too easy and he got bored quickly. It was only after an astute academic advisor suggested that he dual enroll in college that Jaebeom felt at home again. Finishing up his AA three weeks before graduating high school, Jaebeom earned a full ride scholarship to William and Mary located in historic Williamsburg.

Having mastered the art of studying effectively, Jaebeom graduated two years later with honors, earning a Bachelors' of Arts in Political Science and History, with a minor in Literature. Each stage of his education, he negotiated with his parents for more time in the States, and earned a second full ride scholarship to William and Mary's Law School which was his final goal. From there he was independent enough to stay State-side on his own.

Graduating law school at 21 years old, Jaebeom found himself sought after by a number of prestigious law firms in the D.C. area. A year in a private firm as a defense attorney was all it took before the gifted scholar and lawyer was firmly convinced that he could no longer spend his time and talents defending criminals, so he shifted his sight to the District Attorney's Office, and for the next two years served as a prosecutor.

When he turned 24, Jaebeom's parents began suggesting that he return to Korea, relinquish his US citizenship, so that he could serve in the Republic of Korean (ROK) military. Despite his accomplishments, his parents felt embarrassed about him when talking with friends and family because he wasn't serving their country. Reluctant to give up his US citizenship, yet wanting to be a filial son, Jaebeom struggled to find a solution that would afford him the opportunity to do both. And four weeks prior, that's exactly what happened, when he was visited in his office by an individual from the US Air Force Office of the Judge Advocate General who'd heard about his work heading a task force that prosecuted a human trafficking ring.

Jaebeom somberly reflected on the fact that the tragedy of others provided him with the chance to serve his parent's home land and retain his US citizenship all at the same time. He was granted a special commission as a JAG in the USAF. Normally, direct appointees to the JAG Corp skipped the entry officer rank of second lieutenant and for six months were designated with the rank of first lieutenant before pinning on captain. Because Jaebeom was being set up with a back story that had him listed as serving for three years already, he was given an unprecedented entry rank of captain.

For the past four weeks, Jaebeom was given a crash course in military and JAG training that traditionally took place at the JAG School in Alabama and ran for three months. This training included basic military history, chain of command, rank structure, installation locations, and the ins and outs of military justice, claims, and myriad international law concepts. Additionally, exposure to other aspects of the practice seen in the average Judge Advocates Office was given.

On top of learning how to be a JAG, Jaebeom visited Maxwell AFB, so he could realistically describe and relate to the environment in which he would be claiming to have spent three months of schooling. He also spent a few days at Lajes Air Station in the Azores, located on an island off the coast of Portugal. This duty station was very small and no one in the Judge Advocate's Office at the base level or the Headquarters' level at Osan, where he was going for assignment, had ever been stationed there. Given how small the Portuguese installation was, the chances of him running into anyone at Osan who'd been stationed there were slim. Nonetheless, out of an abundance of caution, he went so he could realistically speak as if he'd been stationed there for the past three years.

Jaebeom was looking forward to meeting the captain he was going to be partnered with. The back story was that he and Capt. Alex Stark attended the JAG school together three years prior, hence them spending time together both on the job as well as after hours. The two of them were handpicked to uncover the ringleaders of a drug and human trafficking ring that was assumed to be run out of Osan AB with both US and ROK military members thought to be at the heart of the organization.

Capt. Stark had been in country a month already, and had been assigned to investigate black marketing of goods from the Commissary and Base Exchange (BX). There was, in fact, no such black market problem, it having been resolved years before with fail-checks firmly in place, but it would provide a cover story for their investigations into the drug and human trafficking without tipping people off as to what they were really doing. This was a key deception needed, because it was suspected that even members of the OSI, Security Forces, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA), and the ROKAF investigation teams and command, may be involved in the activity, either knowingly or unwittingly.

Jaebeom had been informed that Stark was a serious athlete with the record for the best fitness scores since joining, as well as a proficient kick boxer and weapons expert. He also had been told that Stark was a master when it came to interrogations and getting people to talk, though exactly how that was accomplished remained a mystery. Maybe his size and commanding presence?

Looking at the photo of the JAG school graduating class of Alex Stark, Jaebeom liked the look of the formidable blond captain; second row, second from the left, based on the photo's labeling. Alex Stark was taller than he was and at least as broad in the shoulders. Jaebeom smiled a little, noting the space on either side of his soon to be partner. He encountered the same thing all the time; people tended to stand a little further away from him, especially in photos, to avoid bumping into him. Like Jaebeom, Stark had finished high school early; completed undergraduate studies at an accelerated rated, and went on to graduate with distinction from the University of San Diego Law School before joining the Air Force.


	4. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebeom meets Captain Alex Stark, learns more about his mission to undermine the human and drug trafficking ring, and meets his coworkers in the JAG office. He also learns that names can have significant importance, though he isn't quite sure why.

Check out the original description for trigger warnings and the Glossary & Acronym Guide for additional details about military and legal terms. Updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Lt. Col. Mark Bohannon, the base SJA at Osan, had been given little information other than that he was to basically give free reign to Captains Stark and Im, and that they would be reporting directly to the Numbered Air Force Commander, skipping even the Wing Commander.

Jaebeom’s arrival was also kept from the rest of the JAG office staff, with the excuse being that his orders had been lost; hence explaining his last minute arrival without prior notice. This story was needed, as Capt. Stark was only going to be told about the investigation and Jaebeom upon his arrival. If word got out he was being assigned and Stark didn’t appear to know him, their back story would be blown before they even started.

Jaebeom checked into the base housing office and was given directions and the entry code to his quarters on base. He was assigned to one of the many bachelor officers’ quarters (BOQ or Q), but his apartment was strategically located across the hall from Stark’s on the fourth floor of the building. Today, he knew he’d be meeting the Seventh Air Force (7AF) commander, Gen. George Hammond, who was waiting in Jaebeom’s vacant quarters. Stark would be summoned shortly after his arrival.

Jaebeom entered the Q. The building was situated on the side of a hill. Approaching it from the street on the high side of the building, he entered on the second floor. Jaebeom removed his cover, tossed his duffle bag over his right shoulder now that he no longer needed that arm free for saluting, and secured his briefcase in his left hand.

Taking two steps at a time Jaebeom quickly ascended the two flights to the top floor, turned right upon reaching the landing and proceeded down the hall to an apartment on his left. He peripherally noted that directly across, the door was labeled 402.

Even though the quarters were assigned to him, Jaebeom politely knocked on the door labeled 403, knowing who was awaiting him.

The door opened and a major, whose name tag read Ross, answered it.

“Ah, Capt. Im,” he said expectantly. “Come in. The general is looking forward to meeting you.”

Jaebeom entered the apartment, divested himself of his luggage and brief case and presented himself with a sharp salute in front of the older man who’s ABU (Airman Battle Uniform) insignia identified him as the three-star general in command of 7AF.

Seventh Air Force, Jaebeom had learned in his crash training, was the Numbered Air Force (NAF) under which the 51st fell. Collocated on the same installation as the 51st and ROKAF Operations Command (공군작전사령부), the 7 AF was part of the Major Command (MAJCOM) known as Pacific Air Command (PACAF). Seventh Air Force’s command mission to plan and direct air component operations in the Republic of Korea and in the Northwest Pacific was what was being compromised by the drug and human trafficking ring hosted out of Osan base, which was believed to have infiltrated base level, NAF, and ROKAF personnel. The impact to the mission could have ramifications for the safety of the entire Korean Peninsula.

“Glad you’re finally here, Capt. Im,” offered Lt. Gen. Mark Hammond. “Have a seat. I trust you read the file we sent you?”

“Yes, sir,” replied the company grade officer.

“Good. Your partner will be here shortly. Capt. Stark has yet to be briefed, so I’ll offer an overview but expect you to fill in the details. I have a plan for the two of you to hit the ground running, but will cover that when Stark arrives, so I only have to go over it once.”

Just then three staccato raps sounded on the door and Maj. Ross, who Jaebeom realized was the general’s executive officer (XO), moved swiftly to let in the new arrival.

Jaebeom stood to greet Capt. Stark, but only saw the major return. It was only when the major stepped to the side that Jaebeom spotted Alex Stark. Realizing that he’d made assumptions that were far from correct based on what had clearly been a mislabeled photo, Jaebeom attempted to shut his mouth which hung agape at the site of the diminutive female officer who presented herself to the general with the sharpest salute he’d ever seen.

Alex Stark had short honey brown hair styled like that of actress Go Joon Hee (see photo in the Glossary and Acronym Wiki linked below), who’d co-starred as the lead’s best friend in the Kdrama “She Was Pretty.” But, unlike Go Joon Hee who was very tall, Alex Stark was a petit 5’1”, if that, and probably weighed in at well less than 90lbs. She appeared to be all muscle and looked about 18 years-old, though Jaebeom knew from the information he’d been supplied, assuming that had at least been correct, that they were the same age.

After Capt. Stark reported in to the general, she turned to shake hands with Jaebeom, a quizzical look on her face, having spotted the captain’s bars and JAG badge on his uniform. Raising one eye brow in a questioning fashion, she introduced herself.

“Capt. Alex Stark. How do you do.”

“Pleased to meet you. Jaebeom,” he stumbled his introduction. “I mean Capt. Jaebeom Im.”

Alex Stark turned to the general for an explanation for her presence there, and in response was handed a file about two inches thick, after which the two junior officers were instructed to be seated. Over the next 30 minutes, Alex was filled in on the particulars of their task to identify and apprehend the leader of a drug and human trafficking ring centered at Osan.

The general also outlined the back story he’d created, namely that Alex and Jaebeom went to the JAG school at the same time, were best friends, and that Jaebeom’s orders had been messed up resulting in his arrival without the JAG office receiving prior notice, so his presence was a surprise. This would allow them a reason to hang out off duty without raising suspicions.

Capt. Stark shifted in her seat when she heard she and Capt. Im would be spending the upcoming weekend working over their “relationship details” and the preliminary information for the file she’d been given.

“Take the next two days to help Capt. Im with in-processing. Col. Bohannon will be assigning you as his sponsor. I know you have scheduled leave to go to Jeju-do starting Friday. Capt. Im will be joining you," General Hammond informed them.

"After this trafficking ring is wrapped up, you will be retroactively reimbursed for your expenses as an approved TDY (temporary duty assignment) and credited the leave time. This ‘vacation’ will allow you two to discuss things in details without the prying eyes of people on base,” instructed the general. “I’m sorry for co-opting your personal plans Captain Stark, but this takes precedence. Secret Squirrel stuff,” he offered somewhat apologetically.

Alex Stark maintained an unreadable face and replied, “Understood, Sir.”

“Good. Now, I have to leave before someone notices my absence. You two remain here and figure out how to coordinate your reunion in a bit. Keep me posted on your progress. Your file explains how to go about accomplishing that."

"Oh, and one final update that’s not in your file,” he said turning to Jaebeom as he approached the door to leave. “There are reportedly two undercover agents who’ve infiltrated; one on the drug side and the other on the human trafficking side. The problem is that their cover is deep and their only contact with ROK command died in a freak accident last week. We don’t know their identities, so you’ll be working in the dark. They also don’t know of your existence either.”

With that the general and his XO departed, leaving Jaebeom and Alex alone in the apartment.

Jaebeom offered a smile to the female captain as soon as the door closed behind the general and his XO, only to be rebuked with a savage glare while saying, “You better be as good as the general thinks you are, cuz you just screwed up the first leave I’ve taken in three years.”

“Sorry about that. I hope your reputation for getting people to spill their secrets is justified, so we can wrap this investigation up soon and you can get a real vacation,” Jaebeom ventured.

Taking a few minutes to size each other up, Jaebeom finally extended his hand for the second time and said, “Shall we try this again? I’m Jaebeom Im. People who aren’t close to me call me JB. If we’ve supposedly known each other for three years, you should probably call me Jaebeom-ah. That ending traditionally is used for close friends of a similar age. I get the feeling that you would resist calling me Oppa, as that implies romantic feelings.”

Alex snorted, trying to stifle a giggle. “Looks like we might get along just fine after all. I was worried that the general’s suggestion of a relationship might’ve been taken as something more than a platonic friendship. My full name is Alexandra Stark. It’s a mouthful, so I just go by Alex.”

Cocking his head to one side and scrutinizing the vivacious female in front of him who resembled a pixie or fairy more than an adult female, Jaebeom decided right then and there that she was no Alex.

“What’s wrong?” the female officer ventured. “You look like you’re puzzling something out.”

“You don’t look like an Alex to me. I’ll have to come up with something else. Something ‘special’ as it were,” offered the tall Asian male.

“Well if you think you’re gonna call me Sandy or, God forbid, Alexa, you’ve got another thing coming; Sandy sounds like a family pet and I’m no Google informational system!”

After laughing with her about those discarded options, Jaebeom let the issue of her name drop and suggested the two sit and chat a bit. For the next half hour they covered a few back story details from their nonexistent days at the JAG school, some general information about one another’s family and education, and discovered they had a number of similar interests ranging from running, to reading, traveling, and photography.

“Okay,” announced Jaebeom after some time. “How about we get this show on the road? Head back to the legal office. I’ll switch into ABU’s and come over in a bit. Act surprised when you see me.”

“Sounds good,” said Alex as she stood and headed towards the door.

As Alex was about to turn the door handle she heard Jaebeom call, “I got it!”

“What?” Alex asked.

“Your pet name,” smirked Jaebeom.

“I’m warning you Im,” started Alex, when she saw him give a beautiful and genuine smile that reached his eyes that caused her to back down. Shaking her head as if humoring an incorrigible two-year old, she turned again to leave.

“See ya soon,” ventured Jaebeom. “Lexy!”

Alex’s forward motion arrested for the briefest of moments. Her back and shoulders sagged for a millisecond before she straightened out again. Composing her face as best she could, she turned and said in the quietest of voices with a tinge of vulnerability, “Don’t. Don’t call me that. You have no right.”

Jaebeom could tell that he’d hit a nerve. A very personal one. Nonetheless, he truly believed that Lexy was the only name that suited her.

Alex left without another word or glance in Jaebeom’s directions. As she walked towards the legal office, she wished the distance was further, as she needed all that time and then some to regain her composure.

Hearing that name and the words that preceded it had taken Alex right back to her past. A painful past that she’d wanted to forget. A past she never talked about. Hoping Jaebeom had taken the hint and wouldn’t call her that, she entered the legal office to find the place in commotion.

“What’s going on?” she asked the Law Office Manager (LOM), a master sergeant by the name of Greg Warner.

Sgt. Warner replied, “Career Management screwed up as usual. We have a new JAG assigned to us and we only got the information a few minutes ago and he’s scheduled to arrive today.”

“Seriously?” ask Alex, pretending to know nothing. “Who is it?”

“Some Korean sounding dude named Capt. Jayboom Im or In or something like that,” he replied.

“Seriously?” Alex screeched, and the eyes of her two fellow Assistant Staff Judge Advocates (ASJAs) swiveled in her direction. “He’s my best friend from JAG school. He was meeting up with me to go to Jeju-do this weekend. I wonder why he never said anything when we were working out our plans for this trip?”

“Because I thought you already knew,’ interjected Jaebeom who’d just arrived in the office.

“Jaebeom-ah!” cried Alex.

“Lexy you have no idea how happy I am to see you. You haven’t changed one bit since I last saw you.”

Alex was briefly stung by his use of ‘that’ name again, but his quip at the end made her laugh a bit. Since no one seemed to notice her discomfort at the nickname either, except possibly Jaebeom, she had no choice but to roll with it. ‘Will I ever be able to hear that name without it causing pain?’ she wondered to herself.

“Lexy?” asked the tall elegant female captain. “Since when are you called Lexy?”

“Only I get to do that,” offered Jaebeom, realizing the flash of pain across the face of his new best friend ran deep. He didn’t want things getting out of hand by having others call her Lexy too. He reasoned he’d need to limit his use of her name to minimize the damage that was far greater than he’d originally perceived.

Turning to the statuesque female officer, Jaebeom extended his hand, “Jaebeom Im. In Korean it would be Im Jaebeom, as the last name comes first. Call me JB. She’s - ” he said jerking a thumb towards Alex to avoid calling her Lexy, “the only one who calls me Jaebeom.”

“Well,” purred the female with proportions of a runway model, “you can call me any time, but my name’s Celeste Randall.”

Celeste held on to Jaebeom’s hand a little longer than was appropriate for a hand shake, as she inquired, “Best friends huh? With benefits? Or are you available?”

Jaebeom squirmed at the not so subtle innuendo, but before he could respond, Alex piped in, “No benefits, but I’m not sure how free he is. Jaebeom regularly has a string of girls after him. How many were there at the JAG school? I lost count.”

“Celeste, take a cold shower. Hi, I’m Gordon Wells. I go by Gordy. Don’t mind her,” said another male captain, thrusting his chin in the direction of Celeste. “She’s always in heat.”

Celeste finally allowed Jaebeom to retrieve his hand from hers, pointedly ignoring the dig from Gordy. Just then, a lieutenant colonel emerged from a nearby office.

“Excuse me, Sir. Capt. Im, Sir,” offered Jaebeom to the new arrival.

“It’s good to have you here,” offered Lt. Col. Bohannon “It’s not often we get a benefit from the screw ups from Career Management. Usually they leave us short staffed. It’ll be nice to have surplus help for a change.”

Continuing. the colonel said, “Since you’re friends with Capt. Stark, she can be your sponsor. Why don’t you get settled in and we’ll see you both back here tomorrow after in processing. I understand you’re already approved for leave to go to Jeju-do together. Guess we’ll have to wait until Wednesday next week to really welcome you to the team.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Alex and Jaebeom offered in unison. And with that, the colonel retreated to his office. Celeste, however lingered as introductions were made with the rest of the officer staff and the law office manager.

Jaebeom found the Deputy Staff Judge (Deputy SJA), Michael Maturen to be very friendly, though not one to delay the administrative requirements of arriving at a new installation. MSgt Warner, offered to put off introductions with the paralegal staff until his return on Wednesday, for which Jaebeom was grateful. He was thankful that he’d have the weekend to learn all their names from Lexy, making the process easier.


	5. Welcome to Osan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Stark helps Jaebeom settle in and they find they have some things in common and also that his military training needs some tweeking. Dinner in town involves good food, but nothing that clings to the plate!

Check out the original description for trigger warnings and the Glossary & Acronym Guide for additional details about military and legal terms. Updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Before departing the legal office, Alex and Jaebeom sat down and mapped out the most expeditious way to complete all the in-processing requirements. It was decided that food needed to come first or they’d both crash before long, so off to the food court near the BX they went.

Arriving at the food court, Jaebeom was surprised to find American food court venders, much like those seen at a mall in the States. Securing a table, Alex pointed out the location of most options and suggested they meet back up in a few. Nodding his head in agreement, Jaebeom took off towards the Popeye’s Chicken, only to find it was Lexy’s destination as well.

“Guess we have another thing in common,” quipped Jaebeom, as they both ordered and returned to their seats.

After eating their chicken, and on the way out of the food court, Jaebeom spotted the Baskin Robbins and suggested they grab a cone to go. Alex was all for that, as she had a not so secret passion for ice cream. Standing at the counter side by side, they both pointed to the strawberry ice cream when the worker asked what they wanted.

Laughing together, they departed with their treat, but not before Alex reminded Jaebeom that he needed to hold his cone in his left hand so that he could stand ready to salute passersby as needed. It was still not yet second nature to him to return the salute of junior personnel or be on the lookout for senior officers for whom he needed to initiate the process.

“The key,” instructed Alex, “is to quickly return the salute of those junior so they can release theirs, while with senior officers, you need to maintain your salute until they’ve responded and completed theirs. We also need to work on your salute. It’s a bit, well, sloppy. I had the advantage of growing up with a father who was in the Navy, but truth be told it wasn’t until I saw the salute of a really sharp member of the Honor Guard that I realized the power and impression of a great salute, versus a good or mediocre one, let alone a bad one.”

The afternoon passed quickly with visits to Accounting and Finance, the Post Office, the base hospital, and the Squadron Section Commander’s offices. Alex was quite surprised at how thorough Jaebeom’s cover was, including three years worth of fake pay, medical records, as well as Officer Performance Reports (OPRs.)

The following day was set to be filled with briefings, one on LOAC and Korean customs dealing with local jails, settlement payments in the event of accidents, injuries, or fights, and so forth, for which Alex was the briefer. Their final stop for the day was the BX, so Jaebeom could pick up a few items like toilet paper, dish soap and the like. Since his household goods weren’t going to be delivered until the following week, Alex offered to lend him some dishes, a set of sheets and some towels until then, since he hadn’t known those types of things should have been included with what he brought.

Loaded with purchases, including some food items from the shopette, the two returned to the Q.

“I’ll swing by tomorrow at 0630 to take you to the Base Theater for the LOAC briefing. Have a good night,” offered Alex as she turned, not towards her apartment, but towards the stairs.

“Um, aren’t you calling it a night?” ask Jaebeom.

“Not yet. I’ve a few things that I need to get done before we head to Jeju-do tomorrow after work. They really can’t wait until my return and since I don’t have tomorrow to work on them, I should crank them out before bed,” Alex explained. She didn’t say this in an accusatory fashion nor with any complaints. It was merely a statement of fact. Nonetheless, Jaebeom felt a tinge of guilt and responsibility.

Entering his apartment, Jaebeom put away his purchase, made his bed with the sheets he’d been lent by Lexy, and took a long shower before changing into casual clothes. He smiled at himself in the mirror as he thought of the day’s events and was looking forward to “hitting the ground running” as the general had said, when he mused that he thought of his partner as Lexy and wondered what name she thought of when thinking of herself. Probably Alex, he decided, though he still had no inclination as to why she had such an aversion and reaction to being called Lexy. Maybe the trip to Jeju-do would offer him the chance to find out more.

Just then, his stomach started to rumble and he realized how hungry he was. Jaebeom noted that it had been hours since his last meal and decided to head into the local town of Pyeongtaek for dinner. He’d learned earlier on though that most of the base personnel erroneously called the town Songtang after the name of the train station.

Taking a moment to put in his favorite earrings, Jaebeom thought he’d stop and see if Lexy wanted to join him. As his knock went unanswered, he wondered if she was still working, so he took a five minute detour and headed to the legal office first to see.

Sure enough, Lexy was at her desk, alone with a stack of files.

“Hey!” Jaebeom called from a distance, signaling his presence so as not to frighten the other. “I was wondering if you wanted to head into town for a bite.”

“Oh, I’m not hungry,” replied Alex, whose stomach grumbled at that moment causing Jaebeom to break into a grin.

“Yeah. I can tell! How about I help you with those?” he offered.

“I just have about 15 more minutes of work. I doubt you know much about claims files, and since my signature has to go on them, I’ll not take any chances. But thanks for the offer any way,” came the response.

After a brief delay she continued in response to his offer, “If you can wait 30 minutes, I’ll go with you. That would give me enough time to wrap up and change into civvies. I’d rather not go downtown in uniform.”

“Well, how about I stay out of your way then? I’ll meet you back at the Q when you’re done and are changed. We can head out then. I can take the time to pack for the weekend in the meantime.”

Alex’s estimate on how long she would be was pretty accurate. Within half an hour, she’d finished her work, taken a quick shower, and changed into jeans and a white T-shirt. The two then made their way to the local town where there were tons of restaurants, bars, and shops.

Though Alex had been in country for a month, she’d stuck pretty much to the places frequented by Americans, as she didn’t speak but a few broken phrases in Korean. With Jaebeom by her side, they ventured further into town and found a quaint mom and pop restaurant and he ordered an array of foods she’d yet to try.

Over dinner, away from American eyes and ears, and in the presence of people who probably understood little to no English, they were able to discuss how they would tackle the task they were assigned. Finally, with an early start in the cards for the next day, the two officers took their leave of the place and headed for the base. They walked silently through the streets of the town and through the main gate; Jaebeom and Alex receiving pointed stares from the Korean guards who were perplexed by the couple.

Alex reflected that the silence between them was actually comforting and, as they approached their respective apartment doors, offered, “Thanks. I probably would have just had cereal for dinner but for you. That meal was delicious. I hope you’ll help me broaden my palate while I’m here. I’ll try everything as long as it’s dead when it comes to the table.”

“Will you eat sushi then?” asked Jaebeom.

“Yeah. I love sushi. I just don’t want to eat anything that is still clinging to the plate. I saw this video with a live octopus hanging onto a plate while the diners were trying to pick it up and put it in a pot of boiling liquid. I can’t do that or have the pieces of octopus still squirming on the plate, or God forbid in my mouth when I try to swallow it. I think I’d lose my stomach contents even if someone else at the table were eating that. Otherwise,” she shared, “I’m game.”

“Noted. No live octopus. I guess catching our own eel or squid would be out of the question then,” Jaebeom joked with a twinkle in his eyes. Alex merely scrunched up her nose at the suggestion.

As they headed into their respective apartments, Alex commented, “The earrings suit you. Too bad you can’t wear them in uniform. They seem like part of your personality. Did you wear them as a prosecutor?”

Jaebeom was a bit flustered by the comment, but managed to say, “Yes. I wore them to court, but usually just studs. Nothing dangling. I have quite a few and I choose what to wear based on my mood.”

“Cool. I’ll have to see if I can crack the code to your moods then. See ya tomorrow,” she said effectively ending the conversation.


	6. Jeju-do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebeom and Captain Stark head to Jeju-do. While everyone else at Osan thinks they are old friends going on vacation, the two are actually working on their cover story. Jaebeom gets a crash course on the game Crud. The two delve into the trafficking files and start formulating a plan.

Two chapters being loaded today as they are relatively short. Check out the description for trigger warnings and the Glossary & Acronym Guide if you need or want more details.

The following day was a whirlwind of briefings and meetings. They started off with a session in the Base Theater, where Alex had to give her presentation from the side of the podium, as it was basically taller that she was and would have hidden her completely otherwise. Using a unique approach of editing Farside cartoons by Gary Larson, she explained the rule of law, application of the Geneva Conventions, obligations of POWs (Prisoners of War) and their captors, and myriad other things pertaining to enemy encounters. Additionally, she deftly traversed the Korean custom of people being compensated in the event of injury or loss of property, regardless of criminal intent, without minimizing or belittling a very different cultural take from that which was the norm in the States.

By the end of the day, Jaebeom and Lexy were both exhausted. Grabbing their suit cases for their ‘vacation’, they headed to the Songtang Station to catch a train some 40 miles to Seoul’s Inchon Airport, where they boarded one of over a hundred flights leaving daily for the island of Jeju-do.

The hotel they were booked into was a beautiful resort, complete with swimming pools, gym, tennis courts, and more. Lexy had arranged for a rental car for her four day stay, and the two planned on taking in as many sites as they could while formulating a plan for their investigation and solidifying their fictitious relationship.

Jaebeom wasn’t sure when Lexy had had the time to review the file given to her by the general, but she apparently had, for she noted during dinner that they would need to spend some time at a local pool hall so she could teach him the rules of Crud, a traditional game played by military personnel at various functions. Knowing this game was crucial to making inroads with some of the suspected co-conspirators listed in the file, most of whom were in positions of authority, a circle not easy to infiltrate without some special skills or ability.

Having played Crud since she was a kid, Alex noted that she was ruthless and that Jaebeom should be warned that bruises and full contact would be invoked. Not sure what this game exactly entailed, Jaebeom was a little leery, but curious to see how this child-sized female would teach him a game well favored by fighter pilots who made the likes of Tom Cruise’s character in Top Gun seem like panty waste.

Alex also shared with Jaebeom that her love of running had already led her to join a group that met every Saturday. The group, known worldwide as Hashers, were generally a bawdy bunch. The Osan chapter went by the name of Osan Bugolgi Hash House Harriers. O.B.H.H.H or OBH3 for short. According to the file, the Saturday event was probably used as a cover for some of the communication and transactions by the traffickers. Alex had plans to explain hashing rules to Jaebeom and take him to his first event the weekend following their return.

“The people who hash can get a bit crude. The clubs around the world vary a bit though, and this one is on the milder side compared with some, but still,” Alex explained. Continuing, she added, “The idea comes from two British guys who started the whole thing. Jokingly hash houses are referred to as a ‘drinking club with a running problem.’ The goal is to run to a place where there is alcohol. Faster runners who know the area are called hares, as in rabbits. They set up trails using chalk markings to steer the rest of the people, known as the hounds, to the end location."

Alex further explained that the goal was for the hounds to catch the hares and the hares to out run and outsmart the hounds. To that end, the hares also create false trails. Most trails are between 2.5 and 5 kilometers long and can run through towns, abandoned buildings, and the countryside. Bean fields and dirt trails are the norm. The only off limit areas are temples and other areas that are sacred, as they don’t want to offend any of the local people.

As Jaebeom loved to run, and had already been apprised of Lexy’s athletic prowess, he was looking forward to trying this out and seeing how it tied in with the whole trafficking communication scheme.

Since they had started early that day with in-processing activities, Jaebeom and Alex retired for bed right after eating. With their rooms adjacent to one another, with a connecting door, they were free to communicate with one another without broadcasting the times they got together.

On Saturday morning, after an early breakfast, Alex suggested they drive out and check some of the islands sites while working on their back story. After dinner, they could stay up and pour over the logistics of the investigation in their hotel.

Jaebeom found out quickly that Lexy’s physical stamina was far superior to his, as she didn’t even break a sweat as they hiked to the summit of Korea’s highest mountain, Mount Hallasan, a dormant volcano at the center of the island. As they needed proof of their ‘vacation’ upon questioning from others in the office, especially Celeste who’d taken a shine to Jaebeom, they took plenty of selcas and photos of the beautiful scenery.

After dinner on the balcony of their adjoining rooms, they settled down and began the arduous task of planning how to find the leader of the trafficking ring, as well as the two undercover agents. Jaebeom’s time clock was still off kilter, so he’d been exhausted in the morning but was getting a second wind as evening approached. Not wanting to wimp out, Alex refused to call it a night.


	7. Dream Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebeom learns more, or so he thinks, about Captain Stark in an unusual way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update today because this and the next short chapter are relatively short and I don't want anyone to feel gypped.

Sometime around midnight, Jaebeom looked up from his research to find Lexy asleep; her head on the table, book still in hand. He gently nudged her, but she only stirred a little. Feeling sorry for having pushed her too much, Jaebeom went to turn down her bed and, upon return, gently whispered, “Lexy. I’m just gonna move you into bed now. Okay?”

With that, Jaebeom slid the book Lexy’d been reading from her grasp and scooped her up in his arms. The girl was as light as a feather and as small as a child, so he easily transported her to her bed. Placing her on the bed, he pulled up the covers around her shoulders, leaning over to do so. It was then that he heard her say in a small, tearful, and sleepy voice, “I’m sorry Chris. Please don’t be angry with me. I tried to stay awake until you got home.”

Rocking on his heels at the mention of some guy’s name that Lexy hadn’t mentioned once in their conversations, but with whom she’d apparently lived at one time, Jaebeom wondered who this Chris was and decided he didn’t like the guy. He’d hurt her somehow. He just knew it. And the fact that they were no longer together, but she was crying in her sleep because of him, made Jaebeom feel very protective of the girl in front of him. He decided to depart quickly though in case she said anything more. He wanted to respect her privacy and she apparently wanted to guard it.

Lexy was exhausted and had fought the desire to sleep, when the next thing she knew, she heard her name being called and was told she was going to be carried to bed. This wasn’t anything new. She always hated falling asleep alone in the house. She’d try and wait up for Chris who worked late and studied hard. Invariably, he’d find her passed out in the living room on the couch, curled up with a book or with the TV still on.

Not wanting to frighten her, Chris would always say her name before picking her up and carrying her to bed. The deep timber of his voice saying her name ”Lexy” used to soothe her, but now it just brought tears to her eyes and an ache to her chest. She wanted to open her eyes and see his face, but she seemed to have sleep paralysis and couldn’t open them. She longed to see his smiling face; the brown hair with sun streaks and his warm brown eyes. As she thought of this, she could feel tears wet her pillow. She didn’t know if she dreamed it or if she actually spoke the words, “I’m sorry Chris. Please don’t be angry with me. I tried to stay awake until you got home.” Sleep then blanketed her in darkness.

In the morning, Alex found herself in bed and couldn’t remember how she got there. She was fully clothed and her pillow was damp. She remembered the dream from the night before and felt off kilter until after her shower.


	8. Crud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh Crud! It is an actual game. Check out the links and shrt video available in the Glossary & Acronym Guide to learn about this fun full contact game. Who knows, you might start playing it with your own friends!

The next few days were similar in their pattern; tourist activities during the day and hard work for four to five hours in the evening. On their last night there, Alex decided it was time to introduce Jaebeom to the game of Crud, so they ventured down to the game room in the hotel where there was a pool table.

The rules to Crud were explained by Alex in a way that made sense of the strange full contact game. After several rounds of play, they invited a few of the other guests to join. Jaebeom and Alex then paired up as a team against the others who were playing. Full Combat Rules were in play and the petit Alex was a force to be reckoned with.

The game was fast and furious Full contact was an understatement. By the end of the evening Jaebeom had become a rather proficient player and had the bruises to prove that he went all in.

The last day on Jeju-do was spent at the pool, recovering from the prior night’s game of Crud. A tan was needed to prove to Celeste that they’d not holed up in the hotel together the whole time. When Alex mentioned Celeste, Jaebeom smiled and noted, “Yeah. She is a little….”

Finishing his sentence Alex added, “free spirited!” to which they both laughed, not in a mean way, as Celeste was a sweet young lady and a hard worker, albeit a bit focused on the opposite sex.

The flight back to Seoul and the train ride to Osan were spent in relative silence by the two captains. They had mapped out their strategy for investigating and possibly infiltrating the trafficking ring and sent it to the general for his approval. The next day they would find out if the cover story they built was good enough to ward off any suspicion.

As he entered his apartment, Jaebeom said, “Sleep well Lexy. I’ll see you in the morning.” She merely nodded and turned to enter her apartment. Jaebeom mentally smacked himself for using her name. He’d successfully avoided it for the most part since carrying her to bed that one night. He surmised that Chris used to call her Lexy and that the memories of him were painful. He saw a glimpse of that pain flash across her face as she’d turned quickly to go.

Over the next three days, the general workload of the legal office kept Jaebeom and Alex busy. Meeting the rest of the paralegal staff on Wednesday had been interesting too. Since it was suspected that someone in the JAG office was somehow connected to the trafficking ring, Alex even started looking and evaluating conversations and interactions from a different light. No one, however, seemed even remotely suspicious.


	9. Golden Gate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebom breaks out his bad boy looks complete with earrings and makeup, which intrigues everyone, as they head out clubbing. Celeste goes full on flirt and the nightlife of Osan involving hostess bars and juicy girls is unveiled as they venture out to the norotious Golden Gate bar.

Friday after work, Celeste came breezing from her office and announced, “Who’s up for a night on the town? JB? Are you game?” Her tone and body language were both playful and distinctly suggestive.

Jaebeom looked to Lexy as she packed up to leave. “Are you going? It might prove interesting.” The double meaning of his comment was not lost on Alex, though no one else was the wiser.

“Sure. Shall we meet at the Main Gate or what?’ asked Alex, not wanting to make the proximity of her apartment to Jaebeom’s known just yet.

“Why not meet just outside the Q. We can then all go together. Would 1900 hours work for you all?” suggested Gordy.

“I’m just gonna hang out at the O-Club, so don’t wait for me,” chimed in the Deputy SJA. Being the only Major in the crowd, Michael was sometimes a bit aloof and tended to hang out at the officer’s club rather than going downtown, but he occasionally joined them so was always extended the invitation.

“Alright then,” chirped Celeste. “See you at 1900 hrs then.” And off she tripped to get ready.

Alex giggled as Jaebeom mouthed the words “free spirit” to her, and they left to their respective apartments to get ready.

Just before 1900 hours, Alex heard a knock on her door. Opening it, she discovered Jaebeom standing there with a big smile on his face. “Are ya ready?” he inquired.

Alex’s eyebrows were raised, as she took in the sight of her new found best friend. Decked out in torn jeans, a shirt that seemed over-sized across the waist yet snug across his broad shoulders, back, and chest, donning earrings that resembled small padlocks, and sporting some eye make-up, he looked every inch the bad boy KPOP member she’d seen on the Korean TV shows.

“Wow!” Alex remarked. “You look like you’re ready to just jump right into the local scene.”

“Well,” noted Jaebeom, “That was the plan, remember?”

Jaebeom check out Lexy as she turned her back to secure her door. Her hair was short, yet still looked very feminine. She was wearing snug jeans that showed her well developed….’Wait,’ he arrested his own thoughts. ‘what AM I doing?’ Shaking his head to clear the image he’d been generating, he’d regained his composure before she turned around.

Celeste winked at Alex conspiratorially, as she linked arms with Jaebeom on their walk to the Main Gate, leaving Alex to walk behind with Gordy. While Celeste went on about Jaebeom’s earrings and eye shadow, for some reason, Alex felt reluctant to share her time with Jaebeom. She chalked it up to them having spent so much time together lately and nothing more. Without being conscious of it, Alex breathed out in relief when, shortly after starting off, Jaebeom extricated himself from Celeste’s grasp.

Finding a bar in Pyeongtaek was not difficult. Deciding which one to go to was another story. When trying to decide, Alex suggested Golden Gate, stating that the dance floor was bigger and the music better than some of the others. The true motive behind the suggestion was based on the research done by Jaebeom and her, which clearly established the ‘juicy bar’ as one where bar fining occurred a number of times in the past few years.

‘Juicy bar’ was the name given to establishments that had girls who worked there to convince the patrons, mostly the males, to purchase expensive juice drinks for them while the guys purchased watered-down overpriced alcohol for themselves. Often referred to as Host Bars, the “hostesses” working in them needed to reach a quota each night, usually to pay off the initial ‘investment’ made in the girls by the establishment. This could include expenses for anything from living quarters (which were usually run down one room places which were shared by a number of girls in an overcrowded arrangement), to ‘dancing attire’ (or lack thereof), and even cosmetic surgery and enhancements. The prices for the ‘investments’ were steep and the interest rates that of loan sharks.

Some bars had unspoken ‘bar fining rules.’ Namely, if the girls didn’t meet their quota they would have to pay the difference out of their meager salaries. This practice encouraged some of the young girls to leave the premises with military personnel for paid sex. Sometimes the practice was more apparent than not. Often the quotas were so high, leaving no option but for to the girls to engage in prostitution. When told that health cards for the girls were available at the front desk, it was a sure sign that prostitution because of bar fining was an endorsed, if not encouraged, practice.

The girls at these bars were often referred to by the derogatory term ‘juicy girls,’ as they would slide up to the US military men begging them to “buy me juicy.” The issue for Alex and Jaebeom to figure out was whether these were individually run establishments or a network of traffickers that had anything to do with involvement and corruption by US and ROK military personnel and, if so, who was the head of the organization for this and the drug trafficking ring believed to be intricately tied to it.

Entering Golden Gate, the juicy girls swarmed towards Gordy. Blond with blue eyes and a perpetual tan, he looked like the All-American surfer dude and was very popular with the girls. Many girls saw the potential of marriage with a US military member as a ticket out of the hell they were in, and Gordy was a very handsome ticket. Even Alex had to admit that.

The funny thing is that if there were US girls with the guys, the juicy girls would often stay away. For that reason, a lot of people went in groups to the bars, even where there was no romantic connection between the military members. It was sort of a safe guard and deterrent. The bars were usually filled, and a majority was enlisted.

As was par for the course, Alex found herself separated from her friends. The height disadvantage made it a challenge for others to spot her in a crowd, though she tried to keep her eyes on Jaebeom who was relatively tall and easy to pick out in the sea of people.

Jaebeom couldn’t spot Lexy within moments of entering the bar. A feeling of unease swept over him, as he scanned the room for her. It wasn’t a simple task given that she was so tiny, but he did locate her and wended his way towards her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The backdrop depicted here and the club name are real. The Golden Gate may or may not still be active, but for a time at least it was closed down or placed off limits to military personnel because of their participation in bar fining which promoted implicit prostitution. The term "Juicy Girl" is actually used in these places and the behaviors of the "hostesses" is straight out of real life.


	10. JB's Crew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebeom meets up with and befriends some unlikely allies in the form of three Americans, one Korean, and one guy from Thailand (Yugyeom and Bambam.) Jackson and Jinyoung are introduced too.

The volume in the bar was so loud that after several attempts to get Lexy's attention by calling her name, Jaebeom resorted to extending his left hand with the goal of tapping her shoulder. As he reached out, he found his left wrist encased in the strong hand of a man who towered over Jaebeom and glared at him menacingly.

“Keep your hands to yourself you sl**t eyed b*****d!” growled the huge American.

Momentarily taken aback, Jaebeom flashed in anger, before regaining his composure. Extending his right hand in greeting, he offered by way of introduction, “JB, Capt. JB Im of the legal office.” The rank and profession were accentuated and offered with a clear American accent which was obviously native. “And who might I have the pleasure of meeting?”

The big man let go of Jaebeom’s wrist like it had been a hot poker. Stumbling backwards, uttering apologies, he tried to retreat, but Jaebeom offered a smile and said, “Let’s talk for bit, shall we?” while motioning to a slightly quieter corner of the establishment.

“Shall we try that again?” Jaebeom said, picking up where he’d left off. “I’m JB Im. Captain Im.” He said this with a fair bit of authority, and the younger taller man finally reached out to shake his hand.

“Staff Sergeant Mike Kowalski. Sorry, Sir. I thought you were going to do something inappropriate to that female. I apologize.”

Jaebeom nodded, like he was considering what the younger enlisted man had said, before shaking hands and offering, “Let me give you four pieces of advice.”

The airman nodded and gulped, unsure of how the officer would proceed, but Jaebeom had his full attention.

Holding up a finger to emphasize each point, Jaebeom continued. “One. Never disparage someone’s mother. Two. Don’t use ethnicity or ethic traits as negative things. Three. Don’t use your hands or fists unless you’ve used your brain and your words first – though there are a few extenuating circumstances.”

Kowalski cringed at each point made by the slightly older officer. He knew these things, yet had acted spontaneously. He was worried that the fourth point would be that the officer would be contacting his squadron section commander and filing a formal complaint.

“And fourth,” continued Jaebeom, “Never, ever, ever, apologize for protecting a woman from a situation you believe is dangerous to her.” With those words, a big smile broke out on Jaebeom’s face, because the younger man looked totally perplexed by the change in focus.

“Sir?” he asked for clarification.

“As much as you needed to hear my corrections on how you approached me, I can’t fault you in any way for looking out for someone, especially my best friend,” offered Jaebeom by way of explanation, as he demonstrated with his one hand that he was referring to someone very small, namely Lexy.

“So, Kowalski is it?” confirmed Jaebeom. “Where are you from?”

“Pittsburg, Sir. South Park to be exact,” came the response that was a little more relaxed now that the captain no longer looked at him as if he were going to face a firing squad.

Nodding, Jaebeom decided the young sergeant was probably from a rough neighborhood given his speech pattern and tendency to let fists and mouth fly fast and hard. He also acknowledge Kowalski’s quick turnaround in attitude was genuine and sincere, showing a depth a character Jaebeom appreciated and knew he needed by his side. 

Kowalski was about 6’1’’ tall and broad shouldered. He looked like someone who could go a few rounds in a boxing ring even without formal training. His nose looked as if it has suffered a few punches in his relatively short life as it was. Upon close inspection you could see his hair was a strawberry blonde, but was cut so short that at certain angles you could see clear through to his scalp which had the same sun tinged ruddy complexion as his face.

“Can I count on you in the future if there’s a need for real protection of that sort? And do you have any friends?” the officer asked the sergeant.

“Absolutely, Sir! And yes I do,” came the response from the staff sergeant. As he turned and signaled to two other guys not that far away. “TSgt. Brian ‘Boomer’ Griggs and SSgt Jim ‘Dozer’ Dawson. Boomer works with UXO’s and Dozer is with Red Horse.” Turning to Jaebeom he began introductions, “This is Capt. Im.”

“Out here. Call me JB,” was the response and they all shook hands.

Boomer was a wiry fellow with lean muscles and sharp eyes. His hands and fingers appeared nimble, as expected of someone who had to quickly and accurate defuse bombs. Boomer looked around 23 years old, but given his rank was probably older than that. His dark complexion was flawlessly smooth and the color of milk chocolate. Across his nose bridge were a scattering of darker freckles, and contrary to some of his African American features, he has fine smooth black hair. Jaebeom briefly wondered if he had family members of several ethnicities including Native American Indian. Hailing from Indiana, Boomer was more of a country boy.

Dozer had a medium build with forearms that were extra large, as if he had eaten a lot of spinach and turned into Popeye. He had a distinct accent that clearly identified him as hailing from Boston without the need to even mention it. Dozer had been in country the longest and spoke a touch of Korean as he had dated a Korean gal who worked in Accounting and Finance for a few months. He also spoke some Japanese, given a previous assignment in Okinawa.

Ten or 15 minutes after meeting, the four were fist bumping and nodding their heads, and with thanks and a pat on Kowalski’s back, Jaebeom finally made his way over to where Lexy was standing.

“What was all that about?” she asked.

“Making some useful friends,” offered Jaebeom rather evasively.

“Hmm. And here I thought you weren’t the friend making kind,” she replied.

“Oh shut up and let’s dance,” offered the Asian male, who dragged the child-sized woman to the dance floor.

Meanwhile, Celeste was dancing with two guys, one with black hair and a smile that made his eyes crinkle at the corners, and another slightly shorter male, who was still on the tall side and who looked rather muscular for an Asian.

It didn’t take long before introductions were made. Jaebeom learned that the shorter of the two, Jackson Wang, was from Hong Kong, and had a martial arts and fencing studio in town. He and the dark haired one, who was from Korea, knew Celeste and Lexy from the Saturday running club. Park Jinyoung was a writer and aspiring actor who owned a bookstore. Though Jackson’s last name stood for king, Jinyoung looked the more princely of the two. Both spoke decent English. Jackson’s was more fluent and colloquial, while Jinyoung’s command of the language demonstrated his intellect and careful choice of phrase.

As the evening progressed, Jaebeom noticed his three new enlisted friends had joined forced with two others. Surprisingly, given the racial comment of Kowalski earlier, both were Asian. ‘Fast learner and probably not racist after all,’ thought Jaebeom.

One of the boys had long legs that were as thin as chopstick. He was dressed to the nines and was rather flamboyant in his mannerism and periodically emitted ‘skrrt skrrt’ sounds while making friends with everyone around him. The other was even taller than Jaebeom and was trying to teach Boomer how to dance. From a distance, the scene looked reminiscent of the interaction between Kevin Bacon’s character and his friend in Footloose. What the dark skinned country boy lacked in rhythm, he more than made up for with tenacity as his friends hooted and hollered at his pathetic attempt to follow the instructions of the very patient dancer, while the others laughed without malice at their efforts.

Jaebeom would discover before the end of the evening that the fashionist was named Bambam. Bambam hailed from Thailand and spoke fluent English, Korean and Thai. Yugyeom was Korean and, though his English was rudimentary at best (mostly limited to memes and questionable expressions taught to him by Bambam) he managed to communicate well enough with gestures and a mixture of Japanese and Korean, mostly using Dozer and Bambam as interpreters. Quite fortuitously, this diverse group of five guys he now thought of as his crew provided just the right mix languages (with the exception of Chinese) for dealing with the trafficking trades Jaebeom and Lexy were up against.


	11. Hash Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the world of hashing, often called a "drinking club with a running problem." This weekly event is the perfect place for traffickers to communicate incognito.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am posting two chapters today as they go hand in hand. Enjoy!

"Have you ever hashed before?' asked Jackson, the more talkative of the two. His question was directed at Jaebeom as they were leaving the bar for the evening.

"No. I was too busy to get into it while in school and they didn't have a club at my last assignment. Lexy, I mean Alex,' he corrected, "has told me about it a bit though," replied Jaebeom before adding, "She wouldn't tell me her hash name. Do you know it? And what's yours?"

Jackson started laughing a high pitched giggle and proceeded to regale Jaebeom with the story of Lexy's hash name, as well as his and Jinyoung's. Jinyoung looked thoroughly disgusted by the mention of his hash name and tried to discourage the gregarious Honk Kong immigrant from revealing too much, but that merely egged on the shorter of the two.

"So Alex had her ring finger in a cast when she first arrived" Jackson was saying. As he went on to explain that Hash names were usually rude and crude with sexual innuendo, he elaborated that Alex had been doing some dog training for a friend a few weeks before PCSing to Korea, The dog, who had been placed in a down stay on a 30 foot leash, was distracted and started running towards her. Unable to regain control over the oversized pooch, he'd darted past her, but not before she'd entangled her hand in the leash. Unfortunately, her finger snapped when the lead was pulled by the dog, causing a spiral fracture.

"So three weeks later, when she got her hash name, that story was told. Though her finger was no longer in the cast, it gave us a great story to use. Tons of suggestions were given for her name. As is usual, they read off the names you didn't get first. The only other proposed name was 'doggy style.' I think Alex was really worried, 'cuz you can't get much worse than that!"

Jaebeom glanced over at Lexy who was happily talking with Jinyoung about books and history; a conversation he would have preferred to be a part of for both the content as well as to distract from her focus on the good looking male.

"Fortunately for Alex, our Daddy Rabbit, that's the Hash name of the leader, was feeling poetic that day, so Alex ended up with 'Love on a Leash."

Jaebeom tuned into the conversation with Jackson as this was announced, and was relieved to find out Lexy's name wasn't too trashy.

"I nearly got 'Wanker' because of my last name and 'Jack-off,' because of my first. But someone, and I think it was probably Celeste, was focused on Jinyoung's backside and he was dubbed 'Peaches.' Since Jinyoung and I joined at the same time they ended up making our hash names sort of a pair. So I got 'Cream.' Very suggestive when any one calls out Peaches and Cream!" Jackson looked to Jaebeom and mused, "I wonder what you'll get."

It was around midnight as they approached the main gate to the base. Everyone began to disperse, but not until promising to meet the next day for the Hash. The four JAGs headed back to base well before the 1 a.m. curfew, knowing that three of them would be going for a run the following afternoon.


	12. OBH3 - AKA Hashing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebeom gets his hash name!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings are in the introduction and the Glossary & Acronym Guide is available to assist with military and legal terms, and may help better understand what hashing is all about.😜  
> 

Jaebeom, Lexy, and Celeste walked towards the Main Gate Saturday afternoon to meet up with the rest of the people who were a part of the Osan Bulgolgi Hash House Harriers (OBH3). Meeting out in front of the Lion’s Den Bar, just outside the main gates to Osan, basic instructions for the hash were given during the ‘chalk talk’, where an explanation of the chalk markings were given, as well as the length of the course. Five thousand Won or $5 was collected from each person to go towards the supplies and alcohol that waited at the Down Down (end of the run).

Lexy and Jaebeom began to stretch and warm up, to which Jackson quipped, “Oh hell! Another serious runner.”

The run for the day was only 5K, but it took them through the outskirts of the town, through some bean and rice fields, and a neighboring village where the locals turned out to watch the crazy Americans who were joined by a few ROKAF and some, like Jackson and Jinyoung, who lived and worked in the town outside of Osan.

Lexy and Jaebeom took off so they could chat a bit outside of the hearing of others. They were specifically looking for any evidence of trafficking when it came to the run, paying particular attention to the hash signs on the road. They decided that other times they would run slower than the pack while other times with the ‘hounds’ to see if there were any discernible differences in the markings or makeup of the groups.

As it was his first run, Jaebeom was initiated to the Hash by having to go to the grog bowl. Fortunately, he’d been warned by Lexy what to expect. Two (unused) toilet bowls were in place. One was filled with beer and the other water. Labeled ‘leaded’ and ‘unleaded,’ you would pick your poison, scoop out a cup of the beverage of your choice and down it in one shot, inverting the cup to prove you’d accomplished the task.

Even though Jaebeom knew the toilets were clean, he chose the beer, as he was sure he’d gag at the thought of water from a toilet. He was unprepared for the instant buzz he got after running so hard.

“I don’t think I’ll do that again,” he observed, as he grabbed a water bottle to help properly hydrate, while the group began singing bawdy songs.

The walk back to base was leisurely and was just the two of them. Most everyone else, including Celeste, stayed for more drinking. Jackson and Jinyoung seemed to have left as well; probably for work.

Over the next few weeks, the routine was pretty much the same. Work during the day, downtown at night to see if they could pick up any information about the trafficking ring, late night debriefings in Lexy’s apartment, and hashing on Saturdays.

On Jaebeom’s third hash, he knew he was in for a rough time, as Jackson was bound and determined to get him a really rude hash name. Though Lexy promised she would advocate for him, he wasn’t confident that anyone could out talk the feisty guy from Hong Kong.

Separated from the group, while the rest of the OB3 discussed stories and proposed his hash name, Jaebeom stomped around in the field near the Down Down, and spotted some strange markings on a nearby tree. Surreptitiously he snapped a photo to analyze it better at a later time. He was afraid to linger there too long and call attention to his interest in what he saw.

Returning to the pack at the request of Daddy Rabbit, Jaebeom braced himself for his hash name. Apparently, most of the names stemmed from a discussion about his twin moles, locate above his left eye.

These moles looked like a snake bite. Jackson had proposed the name Bambam, because in Korean it was pronounced more like Bembem with meant snake, but had the double effect of implying bamming someone. Jinyoung chimed in that Jaebeom always asked for a bite of every one’s food. As such, he proposed the name ‘One Bite’ which was also cringe-worthy in Jaebeom’s mind. The name he got really wasn’t much better, but since it had been proposed by Lexy, he felt a little better about being dubbed ‘Snake Bite.’

“Hey,” she offered, “It could just be a real snake and not a phallic reference. It also describes your resting b***h face. Always looks like you could easily strike out at any moment and take a bite out of someone. ‘One bite’ was really bad, as it could have been referring to either action or size….”

“Enough already,’ interjected an extremely embarrassed Jaebeom, uncomfortable with the whole discussion.

“At least you don’t have to do anything. I carry this little leash with the word ‘LOVE’ embroidered on it, which isn’t too bad, but imagine Celeste with that shirt that reads ‘Sticky Pallet’ or Jackson and Jinyoung running side by side in what looks like couples T-shirts! You have your moles and need nothing more,” offered Lexy in consolation. “Have I mentioned how cute you look when you get all embarrassed and shy? Your ears turn a pretty pink and so do your cheeks.”

If anything, the ‘compliment’ made Jaebeom turn even a brighter shade as he mutter, “Enough. I’m red from running and that beer,” before jogging away for a bit.


	13. Ghost of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexy takes a day off and Jaebeom follows her only to find she is behaving strangly. Could this be a clue to her past?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some ectra trigger warnings gor tjis chapter: Mention of death.

Both Jaebeom and Lexy were getting a little frustrated by the slow process of their investigation, though the general seemed happy with their efforts, and the recent discovery of markings at the Down Down at least confirmed, in part, that the intel about the Hash being involved somehow was correct and was suggestive that the two deep cover agents were involved. They just needed a bit more time.

That Friday, Jaebeom showed up to work to find out that Lexy had taken leave. He was thrown a bit since she'd mentioned nothing about it at all. He tried calling her to see if they were meeting up that night, only to have his call go straight to voice mail. After work, he headed to his apartment and stopped to knock on Lexy's door, only to get no response.

Heading into his apartment to shower and change for the evening, Jaebeom began worrying about his friend. Just before 7pm, he heard a door close and he looked out to see Lexy leaving with a bag in her hand. Still in his towel, he rushed to get dressed to join up with her.

The walk from the Q to the Main Gate was only 10 minutes, but Lexy had a full five minute head start on Jaebeom. Taking a chance, he broke into a slow jog. It wasn't much before the gate that he spotted her walking slowly ahead. Her head was down and she didn't seem to hear him when he called out to her.

As Lexy walked out the Main Gate, she spotted what she was looking for; a drink tent on the side of the road. Pulling the flap back, she entered and found a table near the back. Sitting with her back to the entrance, she signaled to the Ajumma and ordered a bottle of soju.

Jaebeom entered the tent shortly after Lexy, and was about to call out her name when the Ajumma delivered a bottle of soju to the table where Lexy was sitting. Jaebeom stopped in his tracks. Lexy didn't drink. Something was definitely off, so he stepped to the side and watched the scene before him.

Lexy removed something from the bag she was carrying and placed it on the table in the spot opposite her. Moving to get a better view, Jaebeom noticed she was lighting a candle on top of a small cake. She then opened the soju bottle and poured a glass and placed it next to the cake. Not understanding, he just watched without approaching.

Lexy stared as the candle burned, dripping wax on the cake. As the candle nearly reached the end of its life, Lexy leaned forward and, closing her eyes, blew it out. Then she stood up and left, oblivious to Jaebeom standing in the shadows.

Jaebeom looked at the writing on the cake before leaving the tent and following Lexy back to base. The candle wax had distorted the words, but with a little effort he finally made them out; "Happy Birthday Chris."

Lexy was moving a little quicker and made an unexpected turn into the high school and onto the track where she began running laps. Jaebeom watched as she pounded the pavement with an intensity he'd never seen before. And on her third lap, when it looked like she'd never stop, Jaebeom joined her.

Lexy was lost in her own world. Her heart was aching and nothing seemed to make the pain subside. Running had helped in the past. It was why she was so good at it. Whenever she'd felt this level of pain she'd beaten it back by pounding the pavement. Tonight was one of those nights when running was the only option. It was on her third lap that she realized she wasn't alone.

Jaebeom wasn't sure how long Lexy was planning on running, but he knew he had to stick with her. Over an hour and she finally slowed to a walk and left the track heading for home. They walked home silently side by side. When they got to the fourth floor, Lexy turned and with a slightly glassy look, said thanks and headed in her apartment. Jaebeom wasn't sure how to proceed.

He was reluctant to leave her alone, but knew that if he pushed her would get shut down, so he headed in and took another much needed shower. When done, he tried calling Lexy to see how she was. Like before, she didn't pick up and she didn't respond to knocks on her door. Finally, he decided he had no choice but to enter. He'd been in her place enough that he knew her door code, but it was only this time when he punched in the numbers that it dawned on him that they were today's date.

Jaebeom called out Lexy's name as he hurried into the flat. He was very worried that she might have hurt herself and mentally kicked himself for taking time to shower. No response. She wasn't in the kitchen or the living area. The bathroom door was opened, and he was a little relieved to note from the steam on the mirror and a damp towel tossed carelessly in a pile on the floor that she'd showered. That was a good sign; but where was she?

Jaebeom pushed the door to the bedroom open, as he called out Lexy's name. When there was no response, he entered the dimly lit room. Sitting next to the bed in a fetal position was Lexy. She was rocking back and forth, damp haired and in an oversized T-shirt pulled over her knees.

Swiftly moving across the room, Jaebeom moved towards her and in one move, scooped up her child-size body in his arms. With one hand, he threw back her bed covers and placed her on the bed, pulling the blankets up to cover her trembling body. Her eyes pooled with tears that refused to spill. Her breath was trembling.

Jaebeom sat at the edge of the bed for quite a while and decided to go get her a glass of water. As he turned to get up, he felt a hand stay his departure.

"Please," she pleaded in a small voice. "Don't leave me. Please."

"I'm just going to get you some water. I'll be right back," he assured her, as he turned reluctantly to the kitchen.

Lexy had asked him to stay and for a heart beat he'd believed she meant she wanted him to stay the night. Jaebeom knew that wasn't the case and shook the thought from his mind.

Returning with the water, Lexy guzzled it greedily. Jaebeom couldn't restrain himself. After taking the emptied glass he reached over and held his friend tightly in his arms. That's when she began to cry. Whether Lexy'd intended him to stay until morning or not, that's what happened, as it was hours later before she fell asleep in his arms and Jaebeom dared not leave then for fear of waking her.


	14. Six, Six, and a Kick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Stark prosecutes some drug user and gets some possible information about the identity of the two undercover agents. OSI Agent Mark Tuan is introduced and Jaebeom makes some inroads with the locals,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, but hold on for the next one also being posted today. 
> 
> If you are interested in the details about the crimes mentioned and other legal terms, you might want to check the Glossary & Acronym Guide for more details.

On Monday, Lexy was assigned to prosecute two airmen involved in using Meth on the flight line. This effectively pulled her from the joint investigation with Jaebeom.

“I’ll see if I can make any inroads with the locals during the next two weeks while you prepare for trial. Maybe there’s a peripheral connection. You never know,” Jaebeom offered that afternoon.

So for the next two weeks, Lexy basically worked long hours addressing discovery, meeting with the OSI and Security Forces involved in the case, and dealing with the defense councils. Since the Airmen were co-defendants, one was assigned the Osan Area Defense Council (ADC) and the other the ADC from Kunsan. The evidence for both overlapped, but when Lexy received a call from the Kunsan ADC for one of the Airmen, she ended up traveling by the Wolfpack down to meet with him.

“Jaebeom,” Lexy informed him later, “The airman said that the person who ratted them out included two masked men he thought were Korean. One, he said had large ears like Dumbo and “eye whiskers, and the other spoke English with a pretty decent American accent, looked strong, and had double eyelids. He described the second one’s laugh as a little high pitch and said he was a little ADHD in his behavior. Sound like any people we know? “

“Could be we’ve confirmed our missing deep cover agents. I have a new informant downtown, so I’ll let you know if I confirm anything,” replied Jaebeom during a brief discussion late Monday night on the week of Lexy’s back to back trials.

“I’ll not be coming up for air until the weekend,” she surmised. “Let me know if you figure anything out then. I need to get some rest. Hopefully the trials will wrap up before the end of the day on Friday, Saturday at the latest. I hate having to extend things through the weekend. One has asked for trial by judge alone, but the other wants members, including enlisted, so the jury could be a bit irritated if they have to stay over the weekend. Also, the Circuit Trial Judge has another trial scheduled to start Monday next, so he'll be irritated if there are any unnecessary delays.”

“Good luck. Maybe this was the breakthrough we were looking for with information about the undercover agents. I’ll be happier if I can get confirmation though, because we may be off base. The original information the general gave us suggested they were both Korean.”

“Yeah. That’s a bit off, but it seems highly coincidental doesn’t it? Anyway, I’m off to bed now. See you later.”

During the week, Lexy was mainly in court, with brief times spent preparing between the two trials. Her primary witness was OSI agent Mark Tuan. Agent Tuan was instrument in securing the testimonies of the accused airmen and securing the evidence. 

Though there had been several similar cases, the prior ones did not lead to a trial given technical errors ranging from loss of chain of custody of the drugs, failure to properly read rights, and a slew of minor but significant gaffs on the part of several OSI and Security Forces personnel. Intentional wrong doing couldn’t be proven, but it was highly suspicious, as three cases lead to charges being dismissed due to inadmissible evidence or testimonies.

Agent Tuan was about 26 and, though he had Asian features, was born in LA and spoke with a clear American accent. His ability to master Korean in the nine months he had been in country was impressive, but given that he spoke Chinese because his parent were from Taiwan, he claimed Korean was rather easy by comparison.

“Sergeant Choi Siwon from the ROKAF, was key in helping us. He received a tip from two locals who gave us a heads up about when the drug deal was going down,” testified Tuan during the findings portion of the one airman who did not plead guilty.

The first airman, Staff Sergeant Thomas M. Samuel, who’d provided information about the possible undercover agents who tipped off Sgt Choi, was found guilty by a military judge sitting alone of wrongful use of a controlled substance after pleading guilty to the charges. SSgt Samuel was sentenced to a bad conduct discharge (BCD), confinement for 45 days, reduction to Airman (E-2) and a reprimand. This was less than what he could have received for his crimes, but was negotiated as part of a pretrial agreement in exchange for a guilty plea and testimony against TSgt. Long, the other airman arrested at the same time.

The second trial ran longer. The accused, Technical Sergeant Robert R. Long did not plead guilty and it took time for the selection of a jury, and the need for jury instructions for the findings portion of the trial. The jury came back late Thursday afternoon having found TSgt. Long guilty of the wrongful use and distribution of a controlled substance for which he had been charged.

Friday was another long day with the sentencing stage of the trial. It wasn’t until late at night that the jury went into deliberations after both the prosecution and the defense gave they arguments and the jury received sentencing instructions from the judge. It didn’t take them long though to come back with a sentence of a BCD, confinement for six months, reduction to Airman Basic (E-1), forfeiture of pay for six months, and a reprimand. Lexy had asked for a “Six, six, and a kick” and the jury agreed because of the distribution of drugs and usage, since Sgt Long also tested positive for drugs.

Wrapping up the paperwork after trial, Lexy looked at the clock and saw it was shortly after 2000 hours. She secured the evidence, and said goodnight to the court reporter and NCOIC of Military Justice before heading home and changing into jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes.


	15. Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things heat up between Jaebeom and Lexy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special trigger warnings: Mention of abduction, probable prostitution/sex trafficking, and PG 13+ content. Read at your own risk.

Lexy couldn’t wait to get out of the heels and panty hose she’d been forced to wear during the preceding couple of weeks. The one thing she hated about courts martial was the requirement to wear Class A uniforms. If she could have worn her combat boots at least she would have been somewhat comfortable. Now attired in something less restrictive and painful, she was also looking forward to hearing what Jaebeom had learned, since she’d gone to bed long before his return from town every night this week.

Taking off down the road towards the Main Gate at a bit of a jog, Lexy realized that she’d missed seeing Jaebeom and spending time with him. She was glad that she had an excuse to get together with him on a frequent basis, and found herself blushing a bit at the thought.

‘Get yourself together girl,’ Lexy chided herself. Jaebeom had spent the night in bed with her and hadn’t made mention of it since, nor had he even made any suggestion through word or action that he thought of her as anything other than a friend. Furthermore, he’d been the perfect gentleman, showing not romantic overtures. Still, she was looking forward to seeing him.

Maybe it was that frame of mind that caused her to start in her tracks as she walked into the Golden Gate bar. On the far corner of the room Jaebeom was sitting in a large chair. Draped around him was the most beautiful Korean lady. Unlike some of the other girls at the bar who wore not much more that a g-string, this woman looked elegant in a more modest, though form-fitting, dress. Different from Lexy, who always thought she looked like a prepubescent teen, this was a true woman with voluptuous curves and exotic features. Her eyes could be seen gleaming even from across the room, as she sat on the arm of Jaebeom’s chair and leaned into him seductively to whisper in his ear. His efficacious smile turning serious in response to what she told him made Lexy’s stomach lurch.

Lexy gagged as the bile reached the back of her throat. With her face turning red and her heart clenching in a painful and unfamiliar way, she unintentionally caught Jaebeom’s eye before she spun on her heels and left the building.

Lexy stumbled down the stairs to the street. Her vision seemed foggy and she found it hard to breathe. Not able or willing to grasp what she’d seen, she retraced her steps towards the main gate.

“Lexy, wait up!” she heard Jaebeom’s deep voice call from behind. She was torn between turning to him and escaping, after all, how would she face him right now?

Lexy heard heavy footfalls, as Jaebeom approached. Grabbing her hand in his he yelled, “Run! I’ll explain later.” And with that he took off down the street with her in tow, turning into several side streets, winding his way through back alleys, until they came to a darkened doorway that was slightly recessed.

“Thank God!” he exclaimed. “I was so worried.”

“What?” sputter Lexy, not understanding the panicked look in Jaebeom’s eyes.

Facing Lexy, Jaebeom turned her so he was blocking her from view, sandwiching her between him and the wall. Footsteps echoed in the alley and voices called out in desperation. The two found themselves in extremely close proximity to one another.

Jaebeom could feel the heat radiating off Lexy and she was acutely aware of his strong chest pressing against her, the rise and fall of their breathing matching one another. Looking down into her eyes, Jaebeom felt the strong desire to kiss Lexy. Realizing that he needed to shield her from view and keep her quiet, he bend down to place his lips on hers.

Lexy was taken aback. Jaebeom’s hand came up and caressed her cheek, then he leaned in as though her were going to kiss her. At the last moment though, he placed his thumb over her lips creating a barrier between them and securely held her in place, with his finger effectively silencing any further conversation. Despite the presence of Jaebeom’s thumb, both could feel the feather light touch where the tiniest of contact occurred between their lips.

After several seconds past and the scurrying sounds of feet dissipated, Jaebeom pulled back. Looking Lexy in the eye, he was concerned she wouldn’t believe his story and as she pushed against him and glared at him, he knew he was going to have trouble getting her to believe him.

“What the hell!” she all but screamed at him, as she shoved him away.

Lexy’s was warring with conflicting emotions. The thought that Jaebeom would involve himself intimately with a juicy girl didn’t mesh with the man she’d come to know over that past several months. The man she’d let comfort her in her bed. The man who made her heart race moments ago at the thought he was going to kiss her. Yet, she couldn’t disregard what she’d seen with her own eyes. She also remembered that Gordy had started distancing himself from Jaebeom over the past couple of weeks and Celeste had stopped her seductive banter. Could they have known and not told her?

Shaking her head, as if that would clear the dust and make the situation comprehensible, Lexy turned to push her way past Jaebeom and starting to head back to base saying, “I should never have come out. I’m overtired and just need to get home.” There was no way she wanted to admit that she’d left the bar because of what she’d seen. She was disgusted, but truth be told, she also knew she was also jealous because of the juicy girl, or should she say woman, that she’d seem him with.

“Wait! We need to talk,” he said, and he tentatively and gently reached for her arm to stay her departure.

Lexy halted for a moment and mentally kicked herself for hoping there was a plausible explanation that eluded her. As nauseated as she was at the thought of Jaebeom with a juicy girl, she just couldn’t reconcile the situation.

“Lexy, I know what you’re thinking. It’s not like that. Believe me.” The desperation to have her believe him and trust him was evident in his voice. “I’d never subject a lady to anything she didn’t want. I consider those girls trapped and involuntarily doing what they’re doing. Anything with them just goes against my moral compass and the whole point of why we’re trying to crack this trafficking ring. If scum bag guys stopped being predators, there’d be no demand for human trafficking and the whole process would evaporate over night.”

Taking a hurried breath and continuing before any delay would allow Lexy to bolt, Jaebeom stated, “Bit Na is my contact. Remember? Earlier this week I mentioned to you I’d made one.” Jaebeom offered this pleadingly with a hopeful tone.

“I’m sorry I didn’t share the details with you earlier. The general just told me to hold off on doing so until both of your trials were over. He didn’t want you to be distracted. I thought the jury would be deliberating too late for you to make it downtown tonight. I’d called Sgt Warner at 1800 hours and he said the jury had just received sentencing instructions, were gonna take a dinner break, and then deliberate some tonight. I thought I’d have time to back brief you when I got home. At least by then your sentencing argument would be complete and anything I shared wouldn’t throw you off. I would never have wanted you to think I was like ‘that’.”

Lexy turned towards Jaebeom and searched his eyes hoping to see the truth of his statement. Desperate to find evidence that he was the man she cared for, she stated, “You have two minutes. Make the most of it. And leave nothing out. There’s nothing I hate more than being kept in the dark and having information withheld, no matter how well intended.”

Without missing a beat, Jaebeom assured her that he’d never keep anything from her again, unless it was a direct order, and probably not even then. He then quickly explained that the lady who had been ‘up close and personal’ with him was a cop from Busan named Go Soo Ri. She took a leave of absence and had been doing some off duty investigation of her own into the trafficking ring here.

Officer Go's little sister had been missing for eight months and when her department tried looking into it, they traced her to this area and then were basically told to back off by the local authorities. Her superior suspected corruption in the local police force, but was reluctant to push the issue when one of their detectives was seriously injured in a knife fight while he was trying to get some information about Officer Go’s sister. Soo Ri, he shared, was here without anyone in her department or local law enforcement knowing anything. She was pretending to be a juicy girl by the name of Bit Na to locate her sister and uncover the truth about her injured associate and any possible local corruption. 

Jaebeom further elaborated that Bit Na/Officer Go had suspicions there were two undercover agents in the area, corroborating the intel they’d received from the general the first day they met. Apparently, she had a good idea who they were and the evidence of this was pretty solid. Go Soo Ri also heard some scuttlebutt that suggested they may have been compromised or had ‘gone rogue,’ so she was reluctant to blow her cover and approach them just yet. She was the one who suggested Jaebeom act like he had gone rogue too and the general had approved the plan.

Lexy tried to take it all in. Jaebeom sounded sincere enough and it jived with him having told her of an informant before. Just a few things seemed off.

“Why did you chase after me and tell me to run? That makes no sense.”

“When you showed up and saw me, I was in the middle of getting word that there was going to be an attempt to abduct you. Someone apparently sees you as a problem and a concern. The traffickers apparently. When I saw you walk in, I was gonna get up and tell you, so you knew the risk, but you left before I could. I heard some Korean guys talking about seeing you there too and that they should follow, as now seemed like as good a time as any to get you. I just bolted after you, as I was concerned for your safety. I know you can be a bad ass, but I didn’t want to take any chances with your safety. Do you believe me? Can you forgive me for not telling you sooner about my informant?”

Lexy desperately wanted to believe him, and everything he’d said was plausible, so she didn’t hesitate saying she understood. But, she still furrowed her brow and asked, “So that’s why you pulled me into the alley and pretended to kiss me? To hide me and make sure I didn’t make any noise? It was merely a ruse that you did that.”

As she asked this, Lexy subconsciously touched her lip where Jaebeom’s thumb had been and their lips had briefly touched. Mentally kicking herself for thinking he’d really intended to kiss her, Lexy tried to processing the fact that Jaebeom had no such inclination. It had merely been a spur of the moment action intended to both shield her and keep her quiet. He was acting as her co-investigator and friend. Nothing more.

Jaebeom’s heart began racing. Was it wishful thinking on his part or was he actually seeing subtle signs that Lexy was a bit dejected that he appeared not to have wanted to kiss her? His whole body felt like the blood was pumping through it a mile a minute at the hint of the latter being true.

“I told you I wouldn’t ever do anything to a lady without consent. That includes you. On top of that, I knew you were disgusted with me after seeing me with Officer Go and would probably have even bitten me had I really tried to kiss you. Not a very effective way for me to keep us quiet. But,” he paused, letting that last word hang in the air, as he moved a step closer.

Lexy could barely breathe as Jaebeom closed the distance between them. He moved like a large cat stalking its prey, and she was immobilized by his eyes as they bore into her soul. In a matter seconds Lexy found herself in Jaebeom’s arms. He was trembling.

“I was so afraid that you’d be taken from me. That I’d never get the chance to redeem myself and that you’d …” Jaebeom gulped and refused to voice his fear that Lexy could have died or been trafficked, and left thinking the worst of him never knowing the truth about the undercover cop or his feelings for her.

Instinctively, Lexy reached up and retuned his embrace, the adrenaline finally wearing off and leaving her vulnerable. Jaebeom pulled back and searched her face. He was looking for a sign of acceptance. Forgiveness. And what he found was so much more.

Jaebeom rested his forehead against Lexy’s for a moment, then he pulled his head back slightly. With one hand on the small of her back pulling her flush against his solid body and the other gently tracing her cheek, his eyes pleaded with her to accept him. She did not resist his overtures, but instead tightened her own grip on his shirt and spontaneously pulled him towards her.

Lexy was not expecting the sensation of warmth that flowed through her the moment Jaebeom’s lips gently and tentatively brushed against hers. As she attempted to breathe normally, she found herself sharing his breath and the sensation was intoxicating. He briefly pulled back again to check for signs of refusal, then finding none his one hand engulfed the small of her back and pulled her to him. Instinctively, he wet his lips before pressing them against hers again; this time with less reservation. Lexy’s breath hitched.

As Lexy opened her mouth a hair for an intake of breath, Jaebeom took the opportunity to delicately trace her parted lower lip with his tongue. The melding of their breath and her sweet taste, drove him to deepen his kiss, thrilled to find that she was not merely passively accepting his advances, but responding.

Lexy’s hands were grasping at the front of Jaebeom’s shirt. As if on autopilot, she pulled him to her and melted into his kiss. Her mind swirled, as she felt his other hand tangle in her short hair. A surge of happiness swelled in her and a feeling of being loved and cherished warmed her to her core. Time seemed to stand still as they sought to become one with ever increasing passion.

Finally, Jaebeom pulled back to look Lexy in the face. He could feel himself losing control fast and needed reassurance that the pace was mutual. As their eyes met, he could tell that they shared the same feelings. Remembering the kidnapping plan, he assured her, “Don’t worry. I’ll always protect you. No matter what. Okay?”

Fear jolted through Lexy like a bolt of lightning along with sudden feelings of guilt and pain. She had no right to feel this way. She didn’t deserve to have anyone care for her like this. She only hurt those who loved her. She needed to back away now, before Jaebeom got hurt.

In an instant, Jaebeom felt Lexy stiffen and instead of pulling him to her, her small hands were pushing him away, the material of his shirt still balled in her fists. She’d pulled her head away; turning to the side to effectively shut down his advances as he went to kiss her again.

“I’ve gotta get back to base,” Lexy said, as she wriggled her way from her pinned position and started down the alley in the direction of the Main Gate.

“Lexy, wait up. You can’t go alone. Remember what I told you.”

“Whatever,” came the flippant response.

“Hold up, “Jaebeom said, as he grabbed her wrist. “Can we talk? Please?’

“There’s nothing to talk about. Look. I’m over tired. My judgment was impaired. It was a mistake. On both our parts. Let’s just forget it,” and again she wormed her way out of his grasp.

“That was no mistake for me, and you can’t tell me you didn’t feel anything either. It wasn’t just me,” Jaebeom insisted.

“I’m gonna pretend it never happened,” said Lexy, attempting to shut off any further conversation. And with that she bolted quickly down a side street and onto the main thoroughfare, where she stopped a passing base taxi and jumped in before Jaebeom could reach her.

Realizing that she was at least heading back to base where she would be safe, Jaebeom reluctantly returned to the Golden Gate, hoping no one would have noticed his disappearance. Mentally kicking himself and wondering where and why things turned wrong so fast, he reentered the bar. Jaebeom was brooding and determined to carry on their conversation once he returned to base. That was no mistake. He was positive.


	16. Sage Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson gives Jaebeom dating advice, but is it helpful?

“Where’d you go?” ask Jackson, who fairly jumped on Jaebeom upon his return.

“Bathroom. Why?” came the response.

“Just heard from Jinyoung that he overheard some guys talking about kidnapping Alex, and I thought I saw you run out after her,” the buff one offered, trying to get a read on Jaebeom.

“You’re kidding right? Cuz that’s not even funny,” said Jaebeom as he pretended to call Lexy to check on her.

Turning, he said to Jackson, “Apparently she did come here but saw me with Bit Na and got disgusted that I’d picked back up my old habits. She’s pissed. At least she’s back at the Q, so I guess there’s no truth to the rumor.”

Jackson looked at him quizzically, but ended up just shrugging and began walking away while saying, “I guess as long as she’s safe…” when he heard Jaebeom say more to himself than anyone in particular, ‘I hope she’ll forgive me.’

“Wait! You like Alex don’t you and you screwed up royally by messing with Bit Na! Didn’t cha?”

“Jackson. Shut it. You don’t have to rub it in.”

“No man. Listen. You gotta make this right. Head back to base now. Talk with her. You gotta fix this. Girls like Alex are rare,” said Jackson while all but pushing Jaebeom towards the door.

“You think I’ve got a chance?” Jaebeom found himself asking the most unlikely relationship coach ever.

“Not if you stay here and let her think you’re with Bit Na you don’t. Nothing ventured. Nothing gained. Oh. And do yourself a favor. Shower first. You reek of cheap perfume and smoke. Bad reminder of what she saw.”

“Noted,” replied Jaebeom who was wasting no time and already charging out of the bar heading towards base.

Finally back on base, Jaebeom planned on heading right to Lexy’s room, but acknowledging that Jackson was right. He did reek of Bit Na’s perfume and the smoke from the bar, so he detoured to his apartment for a quick shower first.

Standing in front of Lexy’s door, Jaebeom felt his stomach clench. Jaebeom was sure that Lexy had left the Golden Gate, partly because of Bit Na/SooRi. He was a little chuffed when he thought she might’ve been a touch jealous, but when he felt her respond to his kiss, he knew their feelings were mutual. He just couldn’t understand why she pulled back. He’d already told her who Bit Na was and it was clearly a professional relationship only. Her rejection of him could only mean one thing. Chris.

Jaebeom knocked softly on Lexy’s door and waited, hoping she would open it for him.

Upon arriving home, Lexy had changed into sweat pants and her favorite oversized sweat shirt. For the next half hour she warred with herself. How could she let her guard down like that? What had she been thinking? How was she going to avoid discussing this with Jaebeom? Her stomach was in knots. 

Lexy set to work waiting for the inevitable knock on the door. She broke out her laptop and began typing furiously. She and Jaebeom needed a contingency plan. He’d been able to make a contact downtown with police connections. Though her heart pained and her stomach clenched at the thought of Jaebeom being physically close to Bit Na or whatever her name was, intellectually Lexy knew that was a connection that needed to be safeguarded, and it was only a cover. It wasn’t real. Furthermore, she didn’t want to put Bit Na or Officer Go, or whatever her name was, in any danger. Nor did she want them to lose a potentially vital lead and ally. 

As she wrote, Lexy devised a plan where Jaebeom would appear to go rogue and she would pretend to be miffed at him because of Bit Na. Okay some of this was at least partially true, but she needed to know how to tell she could trust him and ensure his safety, all while preparing a plan for apprehension and prosecution of those involved. 

Much of the work had already been drafted by the two of them. Lexy only needed to modify it for the change in events. She also needed to find a way for them to let each other know if the undercover officers were trustworthy or not, should they get definitive proof one way or the other.

Lexy glanced at the large binder on her bookshelf and nodded to herself reassuringly. She knew just how important it was to have contingency plans in place. It was all the more vital since they faced human trafficking, drug cartels, Jaebeom going under cover, his being at high risk of jail time unless it was clear that he was doing this as part of a sting, possible rogue undercover agents, and even tonight’s mention of the intent to have her abducted.

Lexy glanced at the clock. It had been roughly three quarter's of an hour since… She shook her head, not allowing herself the luxury of thinking about Jaebeom’s lips, his taste, the warmth of his body against hers for more than a brief moment. That could shake her resolve. Instead, she wondered whether he’d come by tonight to try and talk with her or would he wait until tomorrow.

Her question was answered when she heard a quiet rap at the door. Looking through the peephole, she saw Jaebeom standing there, hair damp from a recent shower. Instinctively, Lexy reached her hand out. Touching the door approximately where Jaebeom’s lips would be, she paused before slowly gliding her fingers downward, stopping open-handed over where his heart was on the other side of the door. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knowing that would be the closest she would allow herself to get to him. Sighing, she reached for the door handle and opened it.


	17. Full Disclosure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexy shares some of her past with Jaebeom, and he finally learns who Chris is and why he was so important in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triger warnings: accidental death, parental neglect, emotional abuse, and mention of abortion.

Deciding that she wanted to be in control of the timing and discussion, Lexy said blithely, “It’s late. Catch up with you later, Okay?” and attempted to escape back into her apartment.

“No. Not Okay,” interjected Jaebeom who stuck his foot in the way of the closing door. Apparently, he wasn’t going to let things slide. “We have to talk.”

“No. We don’t,” stated Lexy dismissively.

“Yes. We do. And it can either happen in the privacy of your apartment or out here in the hallway for anyone to overhear. So which will it be?” asserted Jaebeom with authority.

“Have it your way,” said Lexy as she opened her door further letting Jaebeom enter. “There’s still nothing to talk about.”

Lexy may have been small, but she was a spitfire and not one to be easily manipulated, so when she turned back into her apartment, she walked to her kitchen and poured herself a glass of water before proceeding to the living area and taking a seat on the couch – ignoring Jaebeom the whole time. 

Jaebeom followed her and sat next to her, his body turned towards her. He waited for a moment to see if she would look his way or engage in any way, but when she didn’t he proceeded, “I know you like me. That wasn’t just me kissing you. You were kissing me back. It was nothing short of a full conversation and confession. That was no mistake. In fact, it was long overdue.”

Here Jaebeom paused to see how Lexy would respond. When she said nothing and held her poker face, he added,” Look, I know I’m not Chris, but can’t we work things out?”

Lexy choked on the water she was in the middle of drinking and all but dropped her glass. Turning sharply towards Jaebeom, she asked in a shaky voice, “Where did you hear that name? I’ve never told anyone about him.”

Gently, reaching for her hands, Jaebeom explained in a soft voice, “You talk in your sleep.”

Lexy was so taken aback that she didn’t even have the wherewithall to pull her hands away. As she was contemplating his words, Jaebeom elaborated. “Back on Jeju-do, the night I carried you to bed, you mentioned his name. Also,” he continued his confession, “two weeks ago, I saw you in the soju tent and saw the birthday cake.”

Lexy was shaking her head in disbelief. She didn’t look mad. She merely said in a shell shocked voice, “Oh. That explains why you didn’t ask me any questions.”

“Look. I can’t pretend to understand how it is to go through a break up. Frankly, I’m at a loss because it seems like he broke up with you, which just makes no sense to me. I mean, you must have been close if you lived together and all. You still celebrate his birthday, and your door code…” Here Jaebeom trailed off, as the expression on Lexy’s face puzzled him. Correcting himself he added, “You hate secrets, yet you seem to have a pretty big one yourself. Don’t you think we should both be fully honest with one another?”

Time passed. Jaebeom waited, giving Lexy all the time she needed to open up to him.

Finally, for the first time in years, Lexy opened her mouth to talk about Chris. She hadn’t mentioned his name in so long that she wasn’t sure if her words would be intelligible, much less coherent, Hesitantly she nodded her head and began in a shaky voice.

“We were living in Norfolk when my Dad got orders to San Diego. I found out the week before we PCSed, and, even then, I only found out because the movers showed up. Chris was attending William and Mary, like you. He’d known for longer and, unbeknownst to me had made arrangements to transfer to the University of San Diego. His spring semester wouldn’t end for a few weeks, so he was gonna drive cross-country on his own. I was worried that he wouldn’t make it home in time for his birthday, but he called me that evening to tell me he was an hour away. He’d stopped for gas and a coffee.”

Jaebeom didn’t dare interject, as he could tell how hard this was for Lexy to share with him. She looked like she was fighting demons he couldn’t see. Her small hands remained in his and she was holding on tightly like he was a life preserver. 

Continuing after taking a few deep breaths, Lexy shared, “I stayed up as long as I could but had fallen asleep on the couch. I woke up to the sound of a phone ringing in the kitchen followed by my mother screaming and then sobbing hysterically. My parents didn’t know I was there when I padded into the kitchen. That’s when I overheard them talking about the accident.”

By this time, the sadness and pain she’d been bottling up showed clearly on her little face. Jaebeom could only give her hands a gentle squeeze of encouragement. 

“I’m sorry. If you need to stop…..”

“No. It’s now or never. I can only do this once,” came her small voice followed by a shaky breath. Lexy tried to take a sip of water, but the glass shook so violently in her hand that Jaebeom had to steady it for her so she could manage a gulp before he took it from her and put in down on the table.

Taking a deep breath, Lexy managed to continue. “Half an hour after I last spoke with him, Chris had been T-boned by a drunk driver in a semi. He never stood a chance and was pronounced dead before midnight on his birthday.” Lexy’s energy flagged, when she said, “That first day, when you called me Lexy. What you said, ‘See ya soon.’ Those were the last words Chris said to me. He’s the only one who ever called me Lexy.” 

The story unfolded in stops and starts, as Lexy ground through the details of her childhood. “My parents didn’t even tell me personally that he’d died. I only knew what I’d overheard from the one sided conversation. I didn’t get to say goodbye to him, and I didn’t even get to go to his funeral. They had him cremated and his ashes sprinkled in the ocean and effectively erased his existence.”

Jaebeom had so many questions. Why did her parents have any say in his cremation? Why was she living with them? Weren’t she and Chris living together? Hoping not to shut her down, Jaebeom ventured, “But as your boyfriend…..”

Lexy looked up at Jaebeom with glazed eyes. “Boyfriend? I’ve never had a boyfriend.” Then as it dawned on her what he meant, she clarified, “Chris was many things. He was my best friend. My hero and protector, especially when I moved to a new school. He was more like a parent to me that my parents. But he wasn’t my boyfriend.” At this a little nervous laugh bordering on hysteria escaped her. “He was my older brother.”

Jaebeom could’ve been knocked over with a feather. Her brother? “But,” he began, “you said you only had a sister. Your file said you only had a sister.” Clearly confused, his face showed he was trying to piece things together.

There was another long pause as Lexy debated with herself. How much should she tell him. In the end, she decided that full disclosure would be the best and fastest way for him to accept that she couldn’t be with him. Like a Band-Aid it would probably hurt less to just let it rip all in one go rather than doing it slowly. 

“I told you I was an oops baby. My sister’s 10 years older than I am. Chris was 12 years my senior. If it hadn’t been for him, I probably would have died as an infant. Maybe been aborted. He took on all the responsibilities of raising me. My first word was ‘Kiss,’ as that was the best I could say his name and he would say ‘Give Chris a kiss. I thought he was saying ‘give kiss a kiss.’ I was eight when I lost him forever. He was 20.”

The magnitude of what Lexy had gone through was more that Jaebeom had anticipated, He desperately wanted to pull her to him, but she was seated in a way that made it clear that she would only be able to get through this story if she could remain emotionally detached. She was sitting on the couch with her knees pulled up and her arms wrapped around them as if to hold herself together. Sitting next to her was probably the closest he would get since she’d taken that drink and realized she had been holding hands with him.

“From that point on, I basically raised myself. My sister was 18 and boy crazy. She had no time for her little sister. My mom had never been interested in me, and seemed to blame me for Chris’s death. When I found out what’d happened, she point blank yelled at me and said it was my fault. Had I not begged him to transfer schools, he would still be alive. She conveniently forgot that he’d made the transfer arrangements long before I even knew we were moving, but to a degree she was correct. He made that decision because of me. He wanted to protect me. My dad buried himself in his work and in drink.”

Continuing the harrowing childhood tale, Lexy offered, “ By 12, I was working around the neighborhood at any job I could find. I was a good student and before I entered high school, I’d looked into dual enrollment and how to petition to become an emancipated minor. At 16 I filed the papers with the court. When my parents didn’t even bother to show up for the hearing, the judge granted my emancipation and offered me a job as an apprentice to him and I moved into my own place for the first time.”

Jaebeom let all this sink in. As she talked, Lexy’s eyes veered towards the black binder on her bookshelf and finally she released her harms from around her knees, stood up, and shakily walked over and pulled it out. She placed it lovingly on the table in front of them and said, “This is how I survived. This is why I’ve been working on a contingency plan for us as part of this investigation.” 

Lexy turned her laptop that was also on the table in Jaebeom’s directions, as if for further explanation.

“I’m tired and need some sleep. Feel free to look through those and leave whenever you’re done. I’m sorry about earlier. It should never have happened.” And with that Lexy stood up and walked to her bedroom and closed the door quietly behind her.

Stumbling to bed, Lexy crawled under the covers. She felt very vulnerable sharing the contents of the black notebook with Jaebeom, but believed if anyone, he was the only one who would understand without judgment of her. She was exhausted from the trials, the emotion of seeing Jaebeom with a sexy lady draped around him, that kiss which rocked her to the core, and most of all the overriding fear that Jaebeom would be in harm’s way because of her. Sleep came fast but filled with dreams of being chased, losing something precious, and soft lips that tasted oh so sweet.


	18. Avatar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebeom learns details abut Lexy's youth including how she was abpe t grow up basically without any adult supervision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra trigger warning in addition to those mentioned in the intro: parental neglect, emotional and psychological abuse, death, and bullying.

Deciding that she wanted to be in control of the timing and discussion, Lexy said blithely, “It’s late. Catch up with you later, Okay?” and attempted to escape back into her apartment.

“No. Not Okay,” interjected Jaebeom who stuck his foot in the way of the closing door. Apparently, he wasn’t going to let things slide. “We have to talk.”

“No. We don’t,” stated Lexy dismissively.

“Yes. We do. And it can either happen in the privacy of your apartment or out here in the hallway for anyone to overhear. So which will it be?” asserted Jaebeom with authority.

“Have it your way,” said Lexy as she opened her door further letting Jaebeom enter. “There’s still nothing to talk about.”

Lexy may have been small, but she was a spitfire and not one to be easily manipulated, so when she turned back into her apartment, she walked to her kitchen and poured herself a glass of water before proceeding to the living area and taking a seat on the couch – ignoring Jaebeom the whole time. 

Jaebeom followed her and sat next to her, his body turned towards her. He waited for a moment to see if she would look his way or engage in any way, but when she didn’t he proceeded, “I know you like me. That wasn’t just me kissing you. You were kissing me back. It was nothing short of a full conversation and confession. That was no mistake. In fact, it was long overdue.”

Here Jaebeom paused to see how Lexy would respond. When she said nothing and held her poker face, he added,” Look, I know I’m not Chris, but can’t we work things out?”

Lexy choked on the water she was in the middle of drinking and all but dropped her glass. Turning sharply towards Jaebeom, she asked in a shaky voice, “Where did you hear that name? I’ve never told anyone about him.”

Gently, reaching for her hands, Jaebeom explained in a soft voice, “You talk in your sleep.”

Lexy was so taken aback that she didn’t even have the wherewithall to pull her hands away. As she was contemplating his words, Jaebeom elaborated. “Back on Jeju-do, the night I carried you to bed, you mentioned his name. Also,” he continued his confession, “two weeks ago, I saw you in the soju tent and saw the birthday cake.”

Lexy was shaking her head in disbelief. She didn’t look mad. She merely said in a shell shocked voice, “Oh. That explains why you didn’t ask me any questions.”

“Look. I can’t pretend to understand how it is to go through a break up. Frankly, I’m at a loss because it seems like he broke up with you, which just makes no sense to me. I mean, you must have been close if you lived together and all. You still celebrate his birthday, and your door code…” Here Jaebeom trailed off, as the expression on Lexy’s face puzzled him. Correcting himself he added, “You hate secrets, yet you seem to have a pretty big one yourself. Don’t you think we should both be fully honest with one another?”

Time passed. Jaebeom waited, giving Lexy all the time she needed to open up to him.

Finally, for the first time in years, Lexy opened her mouth to talk about Chris. She hadn’t mentioned his name in so long that she wasn’t sure if her words would be intelligible, much less coherent, Hesitantly she nodded her head and began in a shaky voice.

“We were living in Norfolk when my Dad got orders to San Diego. I found out the week before we PCSed, and, even then, I only found out because the movers showed up. Chris was attending William and Mary, like you. He’d known for longer and, unbeknownst to me had made arrangements to transfer to the University of San Diego. His spring semester wouldn’t end for a few weeks, so he was gonna drive cross-country on his own. I was worried that he wouldn’t make it home in time for his birthday, but he called me that evening to tell me he was an hour away. He’d stopped for gas and a coffee.”

Jaebeom didn’t dare interject, as he could tell how hard this was for Lexy to share with him. She looked like she was fighting demons he couldn’t see. Her small hands remained in his and she was holding on tightly like he was a life preserver. 

Continuing after taking a few deep breaths, Lexy shared, “I stayed up as long as I could but had fallen asleep on the couch. I woke up to the sound of a phone ringing in the kitchen followed by my mother screaming and then sobbing hysterically. My parents didn’t know I was there when I padded into the kitchen. That’s when I overheard them talking about the accident.”

By this time, the sadness and pain she’d been bottling up showed clearly on her little face. Jaebeom could only give her hands a gentle squeeze of encouragement. 

“I’m sorry. If you need to stop…..”

“No. It’s now or never. I can only do this once,” came her small voice followed by a shaky breath. Lexy tried to take a sip of water, but the glass shook so violently in her hand that Jaebeom had to steady it for her so she could manage a gulp before he took it from her and put in down on the table.

Taking a deep breath, Lexy managed to continue. “Half an hour after I last spoke with him, Chris had been T-boned by a drunk driver in a semi. He never stood a chance and was pronounced dead before midnight on his birthday.” Lexy’s energy flagged, when she said, “That first day, when you called me Lexy. What you said, ‘See ya soon.’ Those were the last words Chris said to me. He’s the only one who ever called me Lexy.” 

The story unfolded in stops and starts, as Lexy ground through the details of her childhood. “My parents didn’t even tell me personally that he’d died. I only knew what I’d overheard from the one sided conversation. I didn’t get to say goodbye to him, and I didn’t even get to go to his funeral. They had him cremated and his ashes sprinkled in the ocean and effectively erased his existence.”

Lexy decided that she wanted to travel. She didn’t have any roots really, as Chris had been her only real family and tie. Since he was gone, she felt it best to keep on the move. That way she could avoid making close friends and connections, decrease the chance of ever having someone close taken from her again. She didn’t keep in touch with people from prior schools, training, assignments or anything. That way she didn’t have to know if anything bad happened to them. 

The Air Force seemed like a logical choice for Lexy, as her dad had been Navy and she wanted to decrease the chances of being assigned to the same base as him. She hadn’t spoken to her parents or sister since she was 16. Though she did know where they were, she doubted they even cared that she was alive. For the eight years after Chris died, until she left home after emancipation, the last time his name was mentioned by them was that time her mom blamed her for his death. When she started school the following year, she never told anyone she’d had a brother. That was when she started going by the name Alex in school. Her parents rarely used her name. When they did, they called her Alexandra, as if it were a disease. The only person who’d called her Lexy was Chris, until Jaebeom came.

Two weeks after his passing, Lexy received a package in the mail. Both her parents were out of the home when it arrived. It was a thick black binder and there was a cover letter.

Dear Lexy,

I was very sad to hear of the passing of your brother Chris. He was a great student and even a better human being. As his pre law professor, he spoke of you often and worried how you would fair if something were to happen to him.

Over that past few months, he has worked with me to create the enclosed contingency plan. His letter in the front better explains why he made this.

Chris had recently written a will. In January he took out a $1.5 million dollar life insurance policy and you are the beneficiary of both. I am the trustee until you reach majority. Your parents know nothing of this, and from discussions with Chris, it would probably be best to keep things that way.

If you have any questions, please call me anytime. My direct cell number is 757-555-8291.

Tom Clark

Jaebeom placed the cover letter aside and began reading Chris’ letter to his little sister.

Dear Sweet Lexy,

It has been bothering me that you keep waking up with night terrors, afraid of what would happen if I die. To give you peace, I am starting what is called a contingency plan. Basically, this is like a life plan that covers skills you will need as you grow up, and it will be helpful even when I’m around, because it will be written so you can go back over it as you need to.

First off though, I want you to know that my biggest plan will have to wait until I graduate law school and pass the bar. Once I am hired as a lawyer, I plan on petitioning Mom and Dad to relinquish parental rights and I’ll adopt you. It’s not that they don’t love you. It’s that they are incapable of loving properly. It is not about you. It is all about them. They, unfortunately, are selfish and can’t appreciate how special and precious you are. Please never forget that you are loved and wanted by me.

If by any chance you are reading this by yourself, rather than with me, then you will have received it from my professor and friend Tom Clark. Call him if you need ANYTHING. You will be taken care of financially, as I’ve made sure of that. As much as I hate keeping things from Mom and Dad NO NOT TELL THEM.

This binder is set up in several sections. Some apply to the age you are at the time I’m writing this. Others are more appropriate for when you are older. Start based on your age!

As I wrote this, I imagined the worst case scenario and hoped for the best; namely that this was all unnecessary and only to help stop your night terrors. Worst case scenario, consider this my Avatar. I only hope that if that happens it will be sufficient.

One day I know you will find someone who loves you as unconditionally as I do. Please don’t close out others. If you do you may not get hurt, but you won’t allow yourself the chance to find that love either. Know that whether I am with you or not, I love you and will be looking over you every step of the way. Also know that not all parents are defective as ours. One day you will be a wonderful mom, because you will know how to take care of your children.

Your loving brother,

Chris.

Jaebeom stopped and looked towards the bedroom door behind which Lexy slept. He hoped that her night terrors were, in fact, a thing of the past.

Looking through the binder, he found it was separated by tabs into different sections. The first was the table of contents, the details of which floored Jaebeom. Lexy’s brother seriously was a genius and very attentive to detail. He would tell those by those pages alone.

Included in the Table of Contents was everything from how to cook and prepare meals, how to figure out the school bus schedule, study habits, personal hygiene (separate into two sections based on puberty), relationships with boys, getting a job, how to write a resume, how to petition for emancipation of a minor, college applications and scholarships, and more.

In addition to the typed pages, diagrams, and links provided by Chris, Jaebeom noted that Lexy had added notes and pages of her own. Earlier on the writing was clearly that of a younger child, later notes were typed or more mature in penmanship and style. The binder had been well used and tape, hole reinforcers, paperclips and other signs showed the binder and contents had been referenced on a regular basis.

Jaebeom stayed up for hours looking through the binder. There were so many things about his friend that had amazed him from day one, but his admiration for her grew with every turn of a page. How she’d survived was nothing short of miraculous. The contents of this plan truly were like her brother’s Avatar had walked her through childhood, puberty, and into adulthood. Jaebeom was left with mad respect and admiration for Chris which had grown with every turn of the page.

Some of the things that struck Jaebeom the most were the recommendations needed to survive in a household where the parents basically ignored her. First and foremost, the moneys from the insurance settlement were invested in a mutual fund, with a portion placed in an account for her basic necessities. She was allocated a certain amount per month only needing to account for her expenses if she needed more. This covered things like food, cosmetics, clothing, school expenses, and later on extracurricular activities, housing etc. Apparently he had correctly predicted that the parents wouldn’t even meet her basic needs beside providing a roof over her head,

One of many personal things Chris had known was that Lexy slept through alarms, so he suggested several options for making sure she didn’t oversleep on a school day knowing their parents couldn’t be relied on to help her for that either. Going to bed on time was emphasized along with setting things out the night before. 

After this section, there were notes by Lexy listing the different things she tried during the summer to see what worked best as a functional alarm, with the second to the last entry out of six attempts being the one that worked. Jaebeom’s heart broke when he read: “This morning I was able to get up on time. I pulled my blankets off my bed and slept on the floor in front of my parent’s bedroom door. When my dad woke up and opened the door he tripped into me and I woke up! Will try this again and if it works, without annoying him too much, I can skip trying other methods.” The last entry was dated three years later when she noted that she’d slept in her bed for the first time in years on a school day and had awaken successfully to an alarm.

What kind parents were these? Jaebeom had lived away from his for years, but it had been by his choice and he’s always had their love and support. His imagination couldn’t even fathom a smidgeon of what Lexy had gone through. They didn’t even seem to be aware of how she was feeding herself or where she was getting money for new shoes and things.

The parents didn’t eat home much and rarely, if ever, cooked. Lexy’s notes showed that for some time she survived on ramen noodles with an egg in it, cereal, eggs, and more eggs. Later she became quite a proficient cook. Maybe that’s why she was short but had great brain function, mused Jaebeom.

In middle school Lexy apparently was bullied at school because of her size and great grades, so she followed her brother’s advice in the binder again and signed herself up for martial arts training. Running away was always her first choice though, as a call from the school to her parents for disciplinary action was something she avoided at all costs. Fortunately, her grades were excellent, so getting them to sign her report cards was never an issue, though there were several pages where she’s practiced forging their signature for various permission slips needed for extracurricular activities. She’d also set up a shadow email in her parents’ name that she used for parent/teacher communications. Seems she pretended to be her parents for any needed communication. As a child, she was basically invisible to her parents and self sufficient.

One page was tear-stained and written in a very shaky hand. Lexy had found a kitten and decided to keep her. She was a sweet little calico that she named Rainbow. Since her parents never came into her room, she thought it was safe for the kitten as long as the door remained closed. One day, in a rush to get to class, the door didn’t latch completely behind her as she left. During the day the kitten, then about 6 months old, escaped into the main portion of the house and had a potty accident in the living room. Upon discovering the kitten, the Mom threw it out of the house. Being unfamiliar with the outdoors, she became prey to the neighbor’s dog. By the time Lexy came home, her precious kitten was dead and her mother had reprimanded her for the mess made in the house. Feelings of guilt for not being a good cat mom and unbridled hatred for her mother manifested in the words written that day.

It became clear why Lexy was overly private and never shared personal details outside of the notes in the binder. When she had, it caused problems. There was one time when a teacher showed concern and social workers showed up at the home. Because the home was clean, she had a separate bedroom, food was stocked in the kitchen, and meals prepared in the fridge, they found nothing wrong. What they never bothered to learn was that Lexy did all the housekeeping, cooking and, shopping by that time. Her parents, especially her mother, were mortified by the visit and Lexy felt the brunt of it upon their departure.

There was no indication of direct physical abuse. But, emotional abuse and neglect were evident on every page. Lexy grew up on her own. By the time Jaebeom found the emancipation paperwork, he was glad that his parents were nowhere near or he would have probably found himself the subject of a homicide investigation.

Closing the final page of the notebook, Jaebeom realized that with only a few exceptions Lexy had followed the advice and recommendations of her brother to a T and then some. The notable exception was her refusal to make and keep friends, contrary to his encouragement in many areas of the notebook to get to know others and allow them to know her. Maybe, he mused, he was the first “friend” she’d really had.

Her parents had kept information from her about their move and details about Chris’ death, and Jaebeom had kept details about Bit Nat from her. Lexy must have felt so betrayed when she saw him with a would-be juicy girl. Maybe she really did think their kiss was a mistake, entered into on the heels of an adrenaline charged attempted abduction. But for him, he knew there was no mistaking his feelings about the girl he could only hope was sleeping peacefully in the adjacent room.

Sighing, Jaebeom lovingly placed the black binder on the table in front of him. Before leaving, he peaked in to make sure Lexy was asleep. Though she was, based on the mess made of her bedclothes, it was not a restful sleep. Wishing he could comfort her like he did on the night of Chris’ birthday and the anniversary of his death, but knowing that he was not invited this time, he quietly closed the door and left.


	19. Jackson - Papillion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting to know more about Jackson shows his soft side.

Jaebeom woke up around noon expecting to hash with Lexy as usual, only to find a text message on his phone that nixed those plans. As he read the message, he noted that Lexy basically erased everything from the night before following her departure from the bar.

“In case anyone saw you follow me last night, we need to act as though I am pissed off at you about Bit Na. I don’t want to blow her cover or risk the ruse of you going rogue being discovered. I plan on checking into the potential of Jackson and Jinyoung being our missing undercover agents. Gonna see if I can run with them today.”

Jaebeom didn’t like the idea of Lexy being near potentially turned agents. It made him very nervous, but he was less worried about Jackson being in trafficking after their conversation the night before. Jinyoung he didn’t trust at all. He was too ‘perfect.’ His every move and word seemed planned and calculated. It didn’t help that he was strikingly handsome and well built. Unfamiliar stirrings of jealously surged through him as Jaebeom though about her alone with Jinyoung.

Shaking off his concerns he shot back reply.

“How about you take on Jackson and I take on Jinyoung? I think Jackson might open up to you more, especially if Jinyoung isn’t around.”

“Deal. See you at chalk talk. I’ll be ignoring you,” came the terse response.

“Damn. It’s summer but there is a decided chill in the air,’ commented Jackson as he watched the interaction between Alex and JB.

“She’s still pissed about last night. Said what I did was a big mistake,” replied JB to the shorter man. He said this with a double meaning only Lexy would have understood. 

“So she shot you down when you confessed?”

JB’s head hung in defeat and added, “Not only that, but she’d shut me out.”

“Well, then. Do you mind if I give it a try?” Jackson ventured hopefully.

Jinyoung laughed and savagely commented, “Good luck with that!”

“What? Tell me you wouldn’t like to get to know her better?” came the response to the slap down.

“Sure I would, but I also know when a battle can’t be won. I’m not a glutton for punishment. But, you go ahead. Have at it. Don’t think you’ll get too far though,” came the calculated response from the dark-haired Korean.

“Watch and learn,” was the cocky response, as Jackson turned and walked towards Lexy.

“Hey Alex. Want to run with me today?” he enquired.

“Sure. I’d like that,” came the unexpected reply, after which Jackson looked at Jinyoung with a ‘see I told ya’ look.

The run today was a 10 K and was going through a few smaller villages. Jackson was more an endurance runner than a speed runner, so he and Lexy settle into a slower pace while JB and Jinyoung took off at the front of the pack. 

Though he really was interested in Lexy, Jackson was a loyal friend to a fault and felt he couldn’t do anything knowing how JB felt about his running partner, so instead he said, “You know, JB really likes you and I know he screwed up but…”

“Skip it Jackson. He’s back to his ally cat ways from JAG school and I’m done with it. I can deal with him professionally, but personally. Not gonna happen.”

About 20 minutes later, Lexy and Jackson found themselves on the outskirts of a small village. Jackson slowed down to a walk and asked Lexy, “Do you mind going ahead on your own? I have something I need to do here. It’ll take about 15 minutes.”

Thinking maybe this had something to do with the trafficking, Lexy offered, “Oh. How about I join you and we can go on together afterwards?”

“Suit yourself,” came the response with a big smile. “I’d love to introduce you to my grandmother.”

“Grandmother? I thought you were from China.”

“I am. And she’s not my real grandmother. I kinda adopted her, as she has no kids and isn’t married. I check in with her a couple of times a week, as she’s getting on in years. 

For the next hour or more, Jackson spent his time helping an elderly old lady hang out her laundry, carry some wood, and a variety of other domestic chores. Just before leaving he brushed her hair, made sure she had a meal prepared for dinner, and gave a big hug with a promise to visit again in a few days.

Continuing with their run, Lexy noted that everyone loved Jackson and he loved them all too. Young boys and teens volunteered that they were doing their homework and weren’t smoking or drinking as they had promised. More than a handful of young guys spent a few minutes comparing their biceps and six-pack development with Jackson’s and promised to meet up at his marital arts studio later for a training session. In short, Jackson proved to be the most humble, encouraging, and upright person Lexy had probably ever met.

When Jackson and Lexy finally arrived at the Down Down towards the end of the gathering, JB was still with Jinyoung. His face noticeably relaxed upon seeing her, but Lexy continued to ignore him.

“Want to join me and some of the guys you met earlier at my studio for some martial arts training?” enquired Jackson of his day’s running partner.

“Sounds like fun. I’d love to,” came the reply.

“Can I come as well?” chimed in Celeste who had overheard the conversation. “ I know nothing about martial arts and would like to learn.”

“The more the merrier,” encouraged Jackson while looking at both Jinyoung and JB.

“I’ll take a rain check,” muttered JB feeling the glare of Lexy warning him to back off.

“I’m in. And afterwards we could go to my bookstore. I’ve planned a book reading session this evening,” offered Jinyoung, extending the day’s outing until evening.

“Ooh I’m not much of a reader, but I could listen to your voice all day and all night,” Celeste offered with a twinkle in her eye, trying to decide which of the two men to set her sights on.

Trying not to let his jealousy get the better of him, JB grunted his farewells and took off for the Q. His plan was to get a shower, a short rest, and then head to town to grab a bite to eat and see if he could meet up with Bit Na.

Jackson’s martial arts studio was fairly busy. The name of the dojo was painted in bright and bold red letters – PAPILLION. The butterfly symbol next to it was, as Jackson explained, representative of the beautiful change and metamorphosis possible when people treated their minds, bodies, hearts, and one another with love and respect. 

Most of the students in the dojo were young boys and men in their early 20’s. Having two American ladies with him caused quite a stir, and even Jackson seemed to preen a bit. After introducing everyone, he took it upon himself to demonstrate a few moves to his new members. What he didn’t expect was to be tossed in that air by the petite Lexy.

“Wait! Where did you learn to do that?” he queried after finally regaining the ability to speak – the air having been unexpectedly knocked out of him, as his guard had been down when working with her.

“Black belt in Taekwondo, Judo, and Wing Chun,” came the response from Lexy who was trying unsuccessfully to hold back her laughter.

Jinyoung wasn’t holding back at all. He was laughing so hard that he even forgot to cover his mouth as was his custom. He was having so much difficulty breathing that his face and protruding ears were turning colors with the exertion. So savage! He promised to remind Jackson of this humiliating defeat for many days or even weeks and years to come.

Meanwhile, Celeste was finding the whole process a bit much. It was one thing to run and get sweaty out in the open air, but the idea of touching others who were also sweaty while being cooped up in a gym full of musty smells was just not her thing, so she quickly resorted to sitting on the sidelines by an open window. Her face clearly showed that she had scratched Jackson off her list of potential male companions and her eyes focused on Jinyoung for the remainder of the time at the dojo.


	20. Jinyoung - The Little Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chance to learn more about Jinyoung is in this chapter.

After two hours at Jackson’s martial arts studio, control of the rest of the day’s sessions was turned back to the instructor who ran the place in the absence of the young man from Hong Kong. Interestingly enough, this guy’s name was also Park Jin Young. He was an older man in his late forty’s, well built (and he knew it) but with the face reminiscent of the troll dolls that were popular in the 60s. Needless to say, there was no resemblance between him and the dark-haired bookstore owner, which Jinyoung didn’t fail to point out several times.

Wending their way through the alleys of town, Lexy, Celeste, and Jackson followed Jinyoung to his quaint bookstore. The design was more that of a coffee shop with tons of books. He even had cats roaming around inside. Taking in her surroundings, Lexy unwittingly thought of Jaebeom who would have loved the place. Her smile faltered a bit and the change in her continence did not go unnoticed by the two young men. Celeste, however, seemed oblivious to everything but the presence of the cats that immediately made her recoil. Offering the explanation that she was allergic, she turned on her heels and bolted back to base, giving up on both the young men without as much as a second thought.

The reading that Jinyoung planned for that evening probably wouldn’t have interested Celeste anyway. It was, of course, in Korean. The story, however, was one Lexy knew well, for Chris had read it to her many a night - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Her favorite part was the “secret” shared by the fox with the prince:

“Here is my secret. It’s quite simple: One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes. . . . It’s the time that you spent on your rose that makes your rose so important. . . . People have forgotten this truth,” the fox said, “But you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible for what you’ve tamed. You’re responsible for your rose. . . .”

Though she couldn’t understand the Korean words spoken by Jinyoung, his voice was so soothing and full of life. Lexy found herself reminiscing; immersed in the story along with the dozen or so children who were in attendance. By the end of the reading, Lexy wondered if her heart could see clearly and if Jaebeom was her rose or she, perhaps, his. She was worried about being away from him like the prince was his rose, trapped in a dessert of her own making and surrounded by the vipers of drug and human traffickers.

A cold chill ran down her spine as she wrestled with how to confirm whether Jinyoung and Jackson were the agents she was looking for, and how trustworthy they were. 

Trying to decide what course of action to pursue, Lexy took in the sight before her. Jinyoung was sitting on the ground with all the young children crawling all over him. His smile was relaxed and clearly genuine. His actions and voice were gentle and nurturing, The cats too seemed to be comforted by his presence. Jinyoung seemed completely oblivious to the adults in the room and completely focused on meeting the needs of these small human and feline creatures in his care.

Reflecting on the interactions between Jackson and the people they encountered during the Hash and at Papillion, she couldn’t help but be confident that he was inherently good and trustworthy. His respect and care of the elderly, coupled with his mentoring of the young boys and men, gave Lexy full confidence in him. Children and animals instinctively had good judge of the underlying nature and character of adults. Based on the scene unfolding in front of her, Lexy was convinced that Jinyoung was equally unimpeachable. The only question left was, where they the missing undercover agents or just really great guys? Lexy vowed to confront them before the night was over.

“How about I order some fried chicken and Jajangmyeon delivery for dinner? I think we need to talk,” proposed Lexy as the last of the children and their parents filed out of the little bookstore.


	21. Give and Take

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebeom finds out a little more about Jinyoung. He also makes some connections during a Crud game at the O-Club which may lead to an insider positin with the traffickers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional trigger warning: Implied intimacy in a public place.

Jaebeom headed back to base feeling ill at ease. His trust in Lexy’s common sense and martial arts skills gave him some, but not complete, peace of mind. It wasn’t as if Celeste’s presence really afforded any reassurance either.

The time Jaebeom spent hashing alongside Jinyoung left him with no answers about the younger man's identity or trustworthiness. Their first 10 or 15 minutes had been spent in silence. It was only after a bit, when Jaebeom began speaking to the younger guy in Korean, that Jinyoung started to open up a bit. 

The conversation was a bit stilted at first because both, it turned out, were better at listening than talking. Jinyoung, though his English was fairly conversant, was definitely more comfortable with Korean. His perfectionist tendencies showed even in his native tongue, as he regularly stopped to think and clearly formulate a response. This was so different from Jackson whose mouth seemed to go into action long before his brain, often resulting in a mixture of English, Korean, and Chinese.

Trying to just get to know Jinyoung, Jaebeom started out on a safe subject and asked about his bookstore. “So what prompted you to open a book store? Or is it a family business?”

“I love books. I found I was reading so much and spending so much on books that it seemed like a logical step to take. It’s more like a book café where you can read books while there. I have an assistant who really runs the place for the most part. He’s a trained barista and pastry chef. Unlike me, Youngjae is a happy soul and is always smiling and laughing. He has the most infectious laugh ever. He’s a great singer as well and often breaks into song while working.”

After discussing some favorite books, Jinyoung also let it be known that when Youngjae was there he brought his dog Coco to the café. Fortunately, Coco was a cat friendly puppy, since Jinyoung also had inherited three cats from the previous bookstore owner. They kind of went with the package he said. Needless to say, Jaebeom, with his love for books, music, and felines hoped to spend time cultivating his friendship with Jinyoung while at the same time trying to find out exactly who he was and if he had any connection to the drug and human trafficking in the area. Much to his chagrin, Lexy nixed that option by taking the lead at the Down Down and headed off with both Jackson and Jinyoung.

Heading home alone after the hash, Jaebeom took a quick shower and made his way to the O-Club; one of the other suspected locations where contacts and negations for trafficking were taking place. The O-club had a separate room that housed a pool table and was the busiest place at the club, and that was Jaebeom’s destination this early evening. 

While most people wore civvies, since it was the weekend, the pilots all wore their bags. It seemed as though their identity and egos were intricately tied to their AFSC. Jaebeom hazarded a guess that some of them purposefully changed into their flight suites before heading to the club. 

Truth be told, without the signature green colors jump suit, most of the pilots wouldn’t be considered even remotely cool and would lack the confidence and bravado that often came with the territory. Those who sported their flight jackets in mid-summer, when the temperatures outside often hit the 24 degrees Celsius or 75 Fahrenheit, were almost laughable. Seems Tom Cruise’s character from Top Gun was a fairly accurate depiction of the average fighter pilot and it applied to Air Force as well as Navy pilots.

Sauntering into the room where a high stakes Crud match was in play, Jaebeom surveyed the players at the table as well as the onlookers. Most of the U.S. players were pilots, with a few exceptions. The opposing team this evening was made up of ROKAF officers, and they were fairing quite well, much to the disgust of several high ranking officers who had bet against them.

The most notable onlooker was someone Jaebeom recognized as the Security Forces Commander, Col Michael Lumbard. Jaebeom had met him at a few of the OSI and Security Forces briefings which were held weekly. It seemed he appeared at these briefings only when officers were the subject of investigations or when drugs were the subject matter.

Lumbard was near the back, but seemed very intent on the game while trying very hard to look disinterested. He was chatting with Lt. Col. select John Dent, the second in command of OSI. While OSI agents didn’t broadcast their ranks but went by the title of Agent, because of the trafficking investigation, Jaebeom and Lexy had been approved for the highest security clearance and with it access to personnel records not normally available to others, so he was privy to this information. Even so, it would have been obvious that the second in command was someone of high rank. 

Dent was a major who had just received notice that he had been selected for promotion, but his pinning on date for Lt. Col. wasn’t for a few more months because of his date of rank. Jaebeom and Lexy were already highly suspicious of Lumbard, and by virtue of the body language exhibited between the two law enforcement seniors, that wariness now extended to Dent. This interaction added a new name to the list of high ranking and influential suspects.

Carefully picking his way around the room, Jaebeom sided up to Dent and Lumbard. Trying not to stand out too much amidst the mostly non Asian faces, he pulled his snap back down low to shield his eyes. Cautiously he offered in his clear American accent, “If you have bets going, maybe I can be of help.”

Realizing someone had joined their personal space, the senior of the two turned and addressed the junior officer.

“What do you mean? Are you that good at Crud or do you have something else in mind?” asked Lumbard, noticing Jaebeom’s distinctly Korean facial features in the dim light of the room.

“I’m a decent player, but I speak Korean and can understand what their game strategies are. I can fake a very bad Korean accent to let them think I’m unable to follow their discussion while getting an inside track. Korean officers tend to be rather prideful and condescending when it comes to Americans of Korean descent who they think are inept when it comes their customs and language.”

Jaebeom went on to clarify, “I’ve seen in before. They tend to get louder and really cocky, all but shouting what their plans are. This group speaks very little English, so I could easily share their plans with our team. They will catch on after several minutes, so it would be best to make use of me for a high stakes bet. We’ll get just one shot at this.” 

The two field grade officers exchanged avarice looks and pulled Jaebeom aside to further discuss how they would go about stacking the deck in their favor.

“So you’re our newest JAG, right? What’s your name again? Jay something or other?” asked Lumbard.

“Call me JB.”

Within half an hour, the bets had increased upward of $1,000 per point and the next game found Jaebeom as the newest member of the U.S. team.

“You’re on the wrong side,” commented one of the ROKAF players to Jaebeom in Korean.

“Sorry, I was raised in the States. Adopted you know? 입양아,” lied Jaebeom in a butchered Korean pronunciation. “I don’t understand anything besides ordering alcohol and hooking up with girls.”

Laughing at Jaebeom’s pronunciation, the ROKAF officers noted that he was a traitor and even worse than the rest of the American scum. Proceeding to do exactly as Jaebeom predicted, the game was won handily by the U.S. team in record time with earnings that made Lumbard and Dent smile ear to ear.

In perfect Korean, Jaebeom shot the ROKAF team a dig, claiming they shouldn’t be so gullible in the future. Much to the confusion of the Americans present, he was applauded by the opposing team for a great tactical strategy and acknowledged as being “smart enough to be a true Korean.”

“Are you always that duplicitous JB?” Dent asked.

“If there’s money to be made, I’ll push the envelope every time,” came the reply. Jaebeom hoped that between the comment about hooking up with girls and the implied willingness to break the law for money, he would be accepted should these two be part of the trafficking ring.

As if on cue, after a conspiratorial look between them, the two senior officers noted that it may be very helpful to have a JAG who saw eye to eye with them.

SCORE!

The atmosphere in the O-Club was degrading fast with the combination of winnings and alcohol. One young pilot was even seen emerging from under the crud table with a very disheveled young lady in tow and received a round of applause by the crowd.

“Welcome to the crud club!” shouted a few of the bystanders who thumped and patted the red-faced LT on the back.

“How about you JB?” asked Dent, tipping his head knowingly to the crud table’s under belly.

“Thanks put I prefer a slightly more risqué environment,” offered Jaebeom with a suggestive wink and a smirk. “Off to town. I have some action to check out at the Golden Gate,” he continued as part of his fishing expedition.

“Say hello to some of our girls there then,” replied Lumbard, who seemed to have forgotten the wedding band on his left ring finger. “Let’s keep in touch. I think we might have more in common that needs exploring.”

“Deal.”

Jaebeom left the O-Club feeling like he needed another shower. Seriously? They thought he would actually get intimate with someone on the floor under the crud table? Disgusting. He also didn’t like duping the Korean officers and vowed that his share of the take would ultimately be returned to them when he no longer needed to keep up his cover.

Making his way downtown for the remainder of the evening Jaebeom first placed a call.

“Sorry I’m running late. Have you guys eaten yet? I’ll be there shortly.”


	22. My House Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can you imagine Bambam and Yugyeom at a country western bar, or Americans eating chicken feet and live octopus?

The restaurant was the one on the outskirts of town that Jaebeom had gone to with Lexy on their first night. It was a bit run down, but the food was fantastic.

Jaebeom entered the doorway having to duck a bit, as the header on the door was a touch low for his height. As he emerged into the dimly lit room he spotted what he was looking for in the corner of the room and made his way there after greeting the owner. 

“Hyung!” cried Bambam, while Yugyeom jumped up to give his elder his seat, only to bump his head on the low hanging lamp.

“Sit,” commanded Jaebeom, while reaching over and gently rubbing the giant maknae’s head to soothe him.

“Did you order yet?”

“No, we were waiting on you,” came the response from Kowalski.

First things first, the six at the table decided on a variety of dishes and a round of drinks before settling in to discuss what their next steps would be. The last time they met had been a few days prior when Jaebeom had explained to the other five what his task was. Today his goal was to give each of them more details on how they could help him.

“So we rotate keeping an eye on Lexy to make sure she’s safe, and see if we can find anything to tie this Jinyoung and Jackson to the trafficking ring,” summarized Boomer, the eldest of Jaebeom’s team.

“Yes. That sums it up well.”

“So now that I’ve been exposed to these creepy spicy chicken feet and squirming octopus bits, can I have some real meat before we head out?” asked Dozer.

The rest of the table laughed at his discomfort, while Jaebeom ordered some pork belly and bugolgi for the grill and another round of drinks before they headed off to the Golden Gate.

“Hey JB!” shouted Celeste, who was dancing with Gordy. 

“I thought you were with Lexy, Jinyoung, and Jackson?” ask Jaebeom, more than a touch concerned that his friend was not currently accounted for.

“Yeah well, sweat was not my idea of a good time and cats just really don’t work for me, so I left early. She should be here soon, or maybe My House Up. They were talking about that as a possible stop tonight. Apparently Jinyoung liked the idea of a country western bar, but since it’s primarily an American hangout he’s never been. Lexy mentioned something about taking them there.” And with that, she was whisked off to dance with someone else.

“Change of plans,” Jaebeom said to his five friends. “We’re heading to My House Up. I just need to make sure Lexy’s okay.”

My House Up was a different kind of place than Golden Gate. Most notably there were no juicy girls and the music was exclusively country western. The dance floor was filled with people who were, or were trying to, line dance. There were hardly any Koreans who frequented the bar. The few who made their way through the doors usually left rather abruptly.

Walking in the door and looking around, Yugyeom immediately zoned in on the dancers. After a single run through of the dance steps he grabbed Bambam’s hand and headed to join those on the floor. Giggling, Bambam imitated the others and hooked his thumbs into the waist of his skinny jeans and also quickly picked up the steps. For some reason he thought that dabbing would be a great addition to the routine. Some of the Americans there looked at him askance, but when they discovered that he could speak English and was a really jovial fellow, embraced his eccentric dance modifications and joined in by adding in the whip and a few other moves.

Kowalski, Boomer, and Dozer hovered in the shadows not wanting Jinyoung or Jackson to connect them with their buddy JB. Meanwhile, Jaebeom made a beeline for Lexy who was at the bar with Jackson on one side and Jinyoung on the other and was met with another glare from Lexy who asked, “Are you stalking me, JB?.”

The rebuke was clear and didn’t go unnoticed by Jinyoung or Jackson, who knew Lexy had always called her friend by his real name, rather than his nickname, before. 

“We should give you some space,” suggested Jackson.

“Not necessary,” shot back Lexy, pointedly ignoring the new arrival. Then she directed all her attention to Jackson and Jinyoung. “I think I’ll call it a night. See you both tomorrow, right?” And with that, she turned on her heels, leaving the bar before anyone had a chance to reply.

Jaebeom stood there feeling the sting of Lexy’s words. All his time in the states he had gone by JB. Only his parents had called him Jaebeom. Lexy had been the first person in ages to call him by his real name. Unlike most Americans, he had grown up with the Korean custom that using someone’s name was a very personal thing and relegated to very close friends. Losing that connection with Lexy hurt, even if it was because she was trying to distance herself from him to support his rogue persona.

Having no further need to remain at My House Up, Jaebeom nodded goodnight to Jackson and Jinyoung and headed back to Golden Gate. Shortly after his departure, his crew of three Americans also left. Bambam and Yugyeom, however seemed to have made a host of new friends and ended up remaining for the rest of the night.


	23. Prosecutor Captain Im

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Imagine Jaebeom in military dress uniform grilling a witness of the stand while giving his infamous glare that causes so many to be intimidated by him!

Jaebeom stood in court room wearing his class A uniform addressing the jury. While he always looked good, the ABUs he normally wore on duty made him look rugged and his civilian clothes gave him a bad boy trendy vibe. The dark blue tailored uniform, complete with shiny rank on his lapels and ribbons adorning his left breast, made him look nothing short of dangerous and sexy.

Jaebeom wrapped up the three day long trial of intelligence officer Major Gabriel, who had been charged under Article 124, knowingly accessing and transmitting classified information from a government computer to someone who wasn’t entitled that could have caused injury to the US or advantage to a foreign nation, without a hitch.

He had spent time reviewing the MCM and videos of prior trials supplied to him by General Hammon. This prep helped him to pull off the trial without anyone knowing it was his first courts-martial ever. With his prior stint as a high paid defense attorney and a prosecutor for the US Attorney’s office, trials were like falling off a log for Jaebeom. He'd just needed to familiarize himself with the nuances of the military system. 

Jaebeom loved the thrill of cross examining hostile witnesses. Something about his glare made them so nervous that they regularly lost their composure and easily were manipulated into telling him what he needed to hear. If his presentation alone didn’t rattle them, his rapid fire and clipped questions did.

Government witnesses got a different treatment. He smiled at them kindly, nodded to reassure them as they gave their testimony. His voice was soothing and bolstered those who were reluctant to testify against their superior officer. 

Jaebeom deftly presented his evidence and supported each element of the crime with witness testimony and documentation. The jury was mesmerized as he expertly laid out the proof resulting in a finding of guilty and followed up with an argument so persuasive that the Major was given the severe punishment he demanded. 

Lexy had snuck into the courtroom unnoticed and sat at the back of the room on the final day. Watching Jaebeom in action was a thing of beauty. While not on duty, he could be sweet, funny, and even klutzy. Frankly, he was a bit of a nerd with a side of bad boy appeal; but in the court room dressed sharply in his dress uniform, he was no nonsense, all business, and over the top sexy in Lexy’s eyes. His command of the evidence, witnesses, and jury showed him in a totally different light. If Lexy had feelings for him before, they multiplied that day in the courtroom. She also realized that when he was at the Golden Gate he was in the same work mode as in the courtroom, just with a different purpose and style. It doubled her confidence that they were going to successfully find the traffickers and bust the ring.

Jaebeom finished up thanking the jury, the judge, and the court reporter for their service. It was only when he turned towards the Defense Council’s table to finalize the paperwork for Major Gabriel’s confinement that he spotted Lexy slipping out the courtroom. 

“You know, smiling at the expense of my client is a bit over the top Captain Im,” said the ADC.

“Well,” offered Jaebeom with a lopsided grin that he was no longer trying to mask, “you probably wouldn’t believe me if I said it didn’t have anything to do with the trial, would you. But now that you mention it, I am happy about the outcome. If your client hadn't been trying to send top secret intel to the North Koreans in the first place, then neither of you would be here now.”

With that, Jaebeom departed to meet up with the NCOIC of Military Justice who was waiting for him and sauntered out of the courtroom. By that time though Lexy was nowhere to be found. It was enough for him though to know that she'd stopped in and watched some of the trial, though exactly how much and what her opinion of him was as a result, he didn't know.


	24. Flowers and Dead Bugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebeom starts making sense of the cryptic messages he has to translate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double chapter upload today because this one's short.

“So you want me to translate this page of information from Korean to English, and this other page from English to Korean?” Jaebeom clarified of Col. Lumbard. “But these sentences doesn’t make sense together,” he noted.

“Look. Just do what you’re asked. I don’t trust you enough yet to let you see the whole picture. Oh, and do them here where I can make sure you aren’t keeping any copies,” came the dismissive reply.

“No problem. Why would I want copies of some gibberish anyway,” said Jaebeom brushing off the dig, while at the same time made mental snapshots of the documents before settling down to work on the task.

Over the course of the next 5 weeks, Jaebeom was given similar tasks on almost a daily basis. At first blush none of the information made any sense. It was clear that the colonel probably had several people working on different sections of the translations so that no one person had the full picture. But, what the colonel didn’t know was that Jaebeom was a jigsaw puzzle nerd and he was still able to piece together some of the details. 

Soon, Jaebeom surmised that the different flowers mentioned in the writings were the people being trafficked. The Hibiscus syriacus, also known as the Korean rose, which is the national flower of South Korea probably referred to Korean females. After a period of time the name was shortened to mug, an abbreviation of mugunghwa (Hangul: 목근화/무궁화) the Korean name for it. The national flower of Thailand, the Ratchaphruek was also mentioned frequently and subsequently shortened to Rat. Likewise, the Sampaguita, or Sam for short, referred to Philippine girls. And Sakura (cherry blossoms) for Japanese girls was eventually changed to Sasuke. Someone must have been a fan of the manga "Naruto!" Anyone who took over later translations would not be as likely to make the connections to the different nationalities, but would think the writings all the more disjointed and fractured. 

Though the Rose was mentioned a few times, it seemed to be something more of a contingency plan. This gave Jaebeom some minor relief, since he knew the Rose was the national flower of the USA and he equated this reference to any risks associated with Lexy.

In addition to the flower references, there were other snippets that clearly dealt with drugs. These were a little more obscure and often involved large numbers and what appeared to be coordinates. In short, Jaebeom had some insight but not enough to put a full picture together. Nonetheless, he passed on what he discovered to General Hammond.

Lexy, during this time, was hanging out almost daily with Jackson and Jinyoung. On the surface of things it looked as though they were teaching her Korean and some basic martial arts. Though she was getting a crash course in Korean, her skills in martial arts needed no additional work. The work they were doing was a bit more duplicitous in nature and would only be revealed at a later time.

Jackson and Jinyoung, apparently, were also assisting General Yeon San Gun, the Korean counterpart to Col. Lumbard, with some translations as well. They passed on their recollections of the contents to Lexy, who in turn shared them with General Hammond. Accordingly, the general was getting a more complete picture of the trafficking ring by combining these three reports.


	25. Hash: Tag You're Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diamonds, strange numbers, and preparations for a Combat Dining In bring Lexy and Jaebeom into close contact.

“Maybe I should skip today,” whined Celeste. “I drank a bit too much last night and I wanna rest for tonight’s Combat Dining In.”

“No,” said Lexy emphatically. “Just skip drinking at the Down Down. You’ll feel better once you get some of the poison out of your system. We can just take it slow, Okay?” 

“Does this mean we have to go slowly too?” lamented Jackson, who was running in circles waiting for the Chalk Talk to begin.

“No!” Celeste cut him off. “I can’t deal with your chattering today. And, besides, we need some girl time. You’ve monopolized Alex every Saturday after the Hash for weeks, not to mention three or four other evenings each week. So buzz off.” Turning her glare to Jinyoung and Jaebeom, she added, “And that goes for you two as well. So go on ahead and leave us alone.”

Jaebeom shrugged, as he knew he wouldn’t have been running with Lexy anyway, but Jinyoung sulked. Jackson rallied and put his arm around the two other guys and offered that he was happy to have time without Celeste staring at Jinyoung peach and his pecks. Of course he said this while giving Jinyoung’s backside a squeeze and flashing his abs with a quick lift of his shirt. Before he could back-peddle, Celeste jabbed him in the chest with a sharp nail and snorted derisively.

While the three J’s took off at a fast pace with a large share of the hashers, Celeste and Lexy settled into the back of the pack. The two females had also decided to take the 3K route rather than the 5K one which would, all things being equal, end up with them arriving at the Down Down not too long after the boys anyway.

The run was slow going for Lexy. She really wanted to stretch her legs, but the reports passed to her by General Hammond the night before that consolidated the translated reports from various sources indicated that something big might be going down today. Mention of breakfast food, specifically home fries AKA hash browns, was thought to reference the Hash. Because of this, Lexy was on lookout for anything suspicious.

Celeste and Lexy had gone about 2K when the latter noticed a marking on one of the intersections that looked like it had been added after the fact. The other chalk markings had been smudged and were clearly from the foot traffic of previous runners. Aside from a few speed-walkers who were behind the two, the girls were the slowest runners of the day. Noting this mark, Lexy knew she had to investigate further.

“Celeste, I think I drank too much water and coffee earlier. I really have to pee and I might need to...you know. Running is making it worse and I don’t think I can make it to the Down Down without addressing this first. Go on ahead. I’m gonna wait here until the walkers pass me by then I’ll find a place to relieve myself and will catch up.”

Celeste protested and offered to be lookout, but eventually gave in and trotted on towards the Down Down leaving Lexy behind. Lexy sat on the side of the road waiting for the stragglers to pass. She and Jaebeom had made it a habit to know who all the hash participants were, so she was confident when she saw the last three walkers head up the road.

Without wasting any time, she retraced her steps to the intersection and carefully evaluated the strange marking. It was a diamond shape comprised of two triangles with the number 57 written in small letter in side of it. Taking a chance that the diamond indicated a direction, she set off from the path toward the apparent top angle of the based on the orientation of the number after first taking a photo of the chalk markings.

Walking carefully through some scrub, Lexy noted some disturbed grass that appeared as if it had been traversed recently. This apparent path was directly in line with the point of the diamond, so she continued carefully, mindful of her surroundings, continuing to snap photos with her cell along the way. On the off chance the numbers were steps, she carefully counter to 57, at which point she came to a clearing with a freshly turned dirt patch.

Careful again to check her surroundings, Lexy reached down, and after taking another photo, began to dig using a stick. Only a few inches below the surface, she was rewarded with her stick snagging on something that felt like plastic.

After excavating her find, Lexy replaced the earth she had disturbed, making the spot look as close to how it had been when she arrived there as she could, using the photo she’d taken as reference.

Hurrying away from the location, careful to retrace her steps and not leave any additional foot traffic markings, Lexy returned to the road way. Several hundred meters further on, she came to a crop of trees and ducked behind them. In the event anyone spotted her, she would claim she was relieving herself, when in fact, she was using the coverage to open the bag she had found.

The sack was black and silky, about three inches by four inches with a draw string tie at the top to keep in the contents. The sack had been then placed in a small Ziploc baggie. There was no way for Lexy to preserve any fingerprints which may have been on the bag, so she removed the black bag and, with fumbling fingers, untied it. What she found inside caused her heart to race and fear to well up in her.

A single sheet of paper with numbers on it was one item in the sack. The contents looked reminiscent of some of the translated communication she had seen forwarded through General Hammond. Lexy hoped this was the drop off spot for people who were scheduled to be trafficked, hoping that they might be able to recover them before they were transported to parts unknown. The remaining contents she carefully poured into the palm of her hand.

The bright sun that filtered through the leaves of the trees made the 40 or so diamonds in Lexy’s palm twinkle and radiate prisms of rainbow light. The beauty of the diamonds contrasted with the ominous meaning of their existence. Whether these were for the purchasing or selling of drugs or humans, the connection was evident. Lexy quickly placed the diamonds and the paper on top of the sack, snapped more photos and sent the set she had taken to General Hammond, careful to delete her sent message and her photos immediately upon receiving notification that it had been received. 

Looking around, Lexy realized that she was in a predicament. On her own she would be singled out as the one who found the stash once it was discovered to be missing from the drop point. She didn’t know how long it would be before the intended recipient would show up. She only knew she needed to get back to base as soon as possible. Mulling through her options, she formulated as plan.

“Damn, why aren’t Jackson or Jinyoung answering their phones,” Lexy mutter to herself, before calling through to Celeste, who she envisioned would just be arriving at the Down Down.

“Celeste,” Lexy began. “I did something stupid. I was taking a leak and a snake startled me, while trying to get away from it in a panic, I tripped and sprained my ankle. I tried to reach Jackson and Jinyoung but their phones are off. Could you look for them and ask them to come and get me? Please? I don’t think I can make it on my own to the Down Down much less back to base. They could help me get to where you are and I can hitch a ride in the supply truck back to base. I’m not far from where you left me. I’ll be by the side of the road. Please tell them to hurry.”

Celeste’s offer to help was waived off by Lexy who insisted that two guys would be able to support her more readily. Her real aim was to have two escorts who knew the danger the find represented and whom she trusted to be able to fight if the occasion dictated. She didn’t want to place her model-like frail friend in harm’s way. Lexy also knew that Celeste would be a prime target for trafficking if they were ever captured.

Waiting by the roadside, Lexy took the time to rub some dirt on her palms and knees to simulate a fall. There wasn’t much she could do to make her ankle look swollen, so she pulled her socks up as high as she could. She just needed the subterfuge until she got to base.

“I know you and Alex are not on best of terms right now, but could you help her out. I can’t find Jinyoung or Jackson.”

Without hesitation, Jaebeom took off as fast as he could back down the road from the Down Down. He was worried that Lexy was alone and injured, but was suspicious that she’d asked for Jinyoung and Jackson. When Celeste learned they had both left early for some reason, she had approached him for help instead. He was thankful that she’d done so instead of going to Major Dent or one of the other Hash members.

Off in the distance, Lexy saw of lone figure heading her way. Though she couldn’t make out his facial features, she immediately recognized him. The way he moved, his body proportions, and the intensity with which he ran, told her it was none other than Jaebeom.

“Damn, I didn’t want him involved,” she cursed to herself.

“What happened? Are you hurt?” Jaebeom asked without really waiting for a response, as he proceeded to check both her ankles while scanning the area simultaneously.

Sighing heavily, Lexy shook her head. “I need to get back to base immediately. Did Celeste tell anyone else I’d hurt myself?” she asked, knowing that Celeste had probably broadcasted it to everyone by now.

Momentarily ignoring the question, Jaebeom asked in a hurt voice, “Why didn’t you call me if you couldn’t reach Jackson and Jinyoung?” As expected, Lexy gave no reply, but pulled up her shirt and showed him the small sack she had tucked in her shorts for safe keeping.

“Diamonds and, I think, coordinates for a trafficking drop off,” she offered with no further explanation.

“Shit,” was all Jaebeom could muster as he pulled off his shirt and began tying it around Lexy’s right ankle.

“What’re you doing?” she asked, as he bent down and indicated she should climb onto his back to be carried.

“If anyone doubts you were injured, you’ll be at greater risk until we can get you back to base. Those slender ankles of yours don’t look injured, so we need to keep prying eyes from knowing. If you walk to the Down Down, that’ll also give things away and prevent us from justifying you getting a ride back to base. Now get on,” he insisted in an authoritative tone.

Jaebeom had sprinted to get to Lexy. His back was glistening with sweat. His skin, tanned and smooth. The thought of being in close proximity to him without his shirt own made Lexy’s mouth go dry. Nonetheless, she knew his reasoning was sound, so as he squatted down she climbed on him, piggyback style. In an effort to decrease contact with his bare skin, Lexy held herself upright and away from him. She didn’t want to place her hands across his bare chest either. The mere thought of that caused her heart to pound, so she opted to hold onto his shoulders up near his neck.

“Are you trying to hurt my back?” he asked. “Lean against me and stop pulling back. You’re gonna wrench my spine at this rate. I promise I won’t bite.”

Without a word, as she didn’t trust her voice, Lexy complied. Jaebeom stood up and readjusted Lexy’s legs around his waist, careful to use “manner hands” and not touch the skin on her thighs. This was as much out of respect for her as for his own sanity. It was challenging enough to feel her weight against his back, her legs wrapped around his waist, and her hands and arms against his upper chest and shoulders. He was sure she could feel his pounding heart, but hoped she would attribute it to the fact that he had sprinted to get to her.

“I have a plan,” offered Lexy after a few minutes of silence. After which she launched into a dangerous, but well thought out way of getting the most senior person involved in the trafficking on base to show him or herself. While Jaebeom saw the logic in the plan, he was concerned that there were pieces that Lexy wasn’t sharing with him.

They both acknowledged that they would both be suspects when the traffickers found their stash missing. Surely their quarters would be illegally searched while at the Dining In that night, so they needed a safe place to stash the diamonds and the list. Lexy proposed hiding them in the hanger, as it was a generally secure place that required clearance for access. After the Dining In, it would be impossible for even them to return there without an escort of a high official.

Groaning, Jaebeom realized that Lexy was definitely going to insist they play the RPS strip game to “prove” they didn’t have the sack in their possession either. 

“I don’t want you to be suspected,” Lexy clarified, “so we both need to play to our underwear.”

Hating the idea of others seeing Lexy all but naked, he reluctantly agreed, but insisted that she remain in bra and panties while he would go to underwear. As they finalized their walk to the Down Down they quickly memorized what they would throw to ensure both would end up basically stripped at the same time. The final leg of the trip to the Down Down was in silence as both worried about the implications facing the other.

Fortunately, no one questioned Lexy’s injury, and the banter between the two was ratcheted up to show no love lost between the two. Jaebeom accused Lexy of being an ungrateful prude, while she noted that she’d not asked for his assistance and his removal of his shirt was nothing short of sexual harassment. Getting a ride back to base, they still stuck together. Jaebeom privately wanted to be her escort, but his comment to others was that he would have to carry her sorry ass up to the 4th floor and wanted his favorite shirt back. Their argument laid the foundation for the later RPS challenged during the Dining In as a means to settle their score with one another.

Once at the Q, Jaebeom insisted on carrying Lexy up to her room. Though he was honestly and legitimately concerned about prying eyes he also wanted to take advantage of any skinship he could get having been deprived of physical contact of any kind with this girl for so many weeks in order to keep his cover intact.

Depositing Lexy in her room, Jaebeom reminded her, “Don’t wear anything too skimpy, and maybe put some makeup on your right ankle to make it look bruised a bit since you will be removing your socks too.” He knew he was stating the obvious, but he was genuinely concerned and also wanted to delay his departure.

Lexy didn’t trust herself to speak, so she merely nodded her head in acknowledgement. Once the door was closed behind Jaebeom, she sank to the floor exhausted from both the enormity of her find and her emotional response resulting from close proximity to Jaebeom. Being physically near him had felt so right, especially after weeks of bottling up her emotions. They had merely been suppressed. 

Giving herself a few moments to regain her composure, she then carefully removed the small sack from her the waistband of her shorts. This time, she took a closer look at the diamonds, each which appeared to be one carat or more, to confirm the number before returning them to the pouch and before heading in for a shower and preparing for the evening’s Combat Dining In.


	26. THE BEST LAID PLANS OF MICE AND MEN OFTEN GO AWRY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is Jaebeom really in league ith the traffickers. What about Jinyoung snd Jackson? Could they had doubled-crossed Lexy too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains gun use, physical violence, and abduction, as well as suggestion of sexual assault. You are warned. 
> 
> Chapter title credit to Robert Burns from "To a Mouse" in which he wrote "The beat laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft a-gley"

Waking up very early on Sunday, Jaebeom sent text messages to his crew. To ensure no possible miscommunication, he sent one in English to Boomer, Kowalski, and Dozer and a duplicate in Korean to Yugyeom and Bambam. The plan was for them to do surveillance on Lexy. Jaebeom was extremely concerned that another abduction attempt would take place given the missing diamonds and note not being found in either of their quarters. The emphasis was to track only and unless there was a life threatening situation that they could prevent without putting themselves at risk, they were to refrain from engaging. Reporting back to Jaebeom and communicating with one another was the extent of their job.

Bambam and Yugyeom were gonna spend the day at Jinyoung’s bookstore café. “The other three can’t read Korean, so it would look a bit suspicious if they went there,” noted Jaebeom when asked by Bambam why that was where they were to hang out.

“Yeah but Yugyeom doesn’t read at all either even though he is Korean,” quipped Bambam, earning himself a thump from the Maknae.

“They have manga,” offered Jaebeom, not refuting the truth of Bambam’s comment. “And books with photos. Youngjae who runs the café part makes a decent hot cocoa drink as well as milkshakes.”

The comment about the café and manga was enough to shut down further text complaints from the two.

The three Americans had already scouted out the area around Jackson’s martial arts studio. Jaebeom was still not one hundred percent confident that Jackson and Jinyoung could be trusted, so he wanted to plan for every eventuality. He did not share his concerns with either Lexy or General Hammond. 

Much of what Lexy and Jaebeom had been doing recently, including that they were still working together, had found diamonds and the note with what seemed to be coordinates, were not routed through General Hammond’s executive officer Major Ross. If anything at all, detailed updates were transmitted directly to the general.

Lexy was the only one who continued to forward periodic and innocuous communication through the major, all showing little to no advancement in the investigation. This was done in an abundance of caution to ensure there was no compromise of Jaebeom’s rogue ruse. Lexy did forward a late night note through the major to the general that she had “found something of evidentiary importance” while at the same time sending specifics directly to the general. She thought that failing to do so would raise a red flag that communications were being screened and scrubbed.

Lexy followed her regular routine and headed off to meet up with Jackson and Jinyoung around noon. Meeting up at the martial arts studio, she filled in the two guys on what she had found and how she’d secured the diamonds in Hanger 10 the night before. She also let them know that, while she’d sent a copy of the note to General Hammond, she had destroyed the note itself after memorizing its contents. They then began to implement the plan they had been working on for the preceding weeks.

“Colonel, this is Jackson. I was just checking in to let you know that Captain Stark has complete trust in us. She just informed us that she was the one who found some diamonds and a note that looked to be coordinates. I trust this is of interest to you?”

“Yes, Jackson,” replied Col Lumbard, his fury barely contained. “Do you know whether she was working with Captain Im? I understand she tried to reach out to you and Jinyoung, but since you’d already left, it was Captain Im who was the last one seen alone with her.”

“As far as we can tell, those two aren’t on good terms. She even shared with us a battle of sorts they had at some military function last night. I thought you were there? Do you have any idea what that was all about?”

Lumbard began to chuckle. “Yeah. They went at it last night. Had the chance to see the good female captain almost completely in the raw. We need you to bring her to us so we can find out where our goods are. We’ve already searched her and Im’s quarters and found nothing. They demonstrated they didn’t have the items on their person last night. It seemed a bit convenient, but if you say they are really at odds, maybe it really was just a grudge match between them. Once we get her to talk, we’ll fetch a nice price for her. Her body is a nice combination of woman and child like size. Definitely a high end market for that.”

Jackson swallowed the bile that was threatening to choke him and replied, “Where’d you want to meet? Oh and before we turn her over, we want assurances that we’ll get 20% of the diamonds”

“You’ll get five and no more.”

“Fifteen or we’ll find them for ourselves,” replied the young man from Hong Kong who was very adept at negotiations and haggling.

“Ten and that’s final. There’s a warehouse near the old railroad tracks. I’ll text you the street name and a photo of the outside. Keep Stark oblivious. Tell her whatever you want, but I want her to walk in being none the wiser that she’ll be detained and interrogated once she gets here.”

After hanging up, Jackson turned to Lexy and Jinyoung. “We’re on.” And then added. “I can’t wait to take out that sleeze ball son of a B@#%!”

Jinyoung, still a bit leery about the plan asked. “Alex, are you sure we can’t let JB know what we’re doing? It might be helpful to have his support and backup.”

“No!” Lexy said emphatically. “Keep him out of it. He’d come charging in like a bull in a china shop and get himself compromised and hurt or killed because of me. Swear you won’t tell him.”

Both of the young men reluctantly nodded in agreement and began the process of moving to the rendezvous with Colonel Lumbard. 

Since they didn’t know how many people would be there to back up the colonel, they both were packing their personal weapons. They took a few minutes to double check them before heading out.

Jackson’s weapon of choice was a Lugar. The clip was loaded with FTX bullets and he had an extra clip at the ready. While handguns were strictly regulated in Korean, he was still an undercover officer, even if their reporting chain had been broken with the unexpected death of their single contact within their department. He liked the weight and feel of the semi-automatic. Though it had a decent kick when using hollow points, 115 grain FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) used at the range for target practice weren’t too bad.

Jinyoung was more traditional and still used a revolver. A Smith and Wesson with six in the chamber was his weapon of choice. Prior to becoming a police officer he had considered becoming a kindergarten teacher. Because he always loved kids, and even now read to them at the bookstore, he had spent hours learning sleight of hand magic tricks. His nimble fingers enabled him to reload his revolver with such speed and dexterity that he appeared to be at no disadvantage over those with 9mms.

As the three departed the dojo, Jackson made note of the three Americans who were carefully surveying their movements. Had he not expected JB to keep tabs on Alex he would have fought harder to convince Alex to let them tell him about their plan. He also wouldn’t have been on the lookout to the extent he was and wouldn’t have spotted them. They were good and being relatively undetected, he admitted to himself.

Jaebeom placed a call through to Colonel Lumbard after making arrangements with his crew. “What the hell!” he began. “Did you have someone search my quarters last night? Did you think I wouldn’t notice? I gather you don’t trust me or what” he said as an opening salvo.

“Just covering my bases. You were the only one alone with Stark at the Hash yesterday and your battle last night with her seemed a bit staged.”

Sounding offended and clueless, Jaebeom replied indignantly, “What was I supposed to do? Celeste, I mean Captain Randall, told me Alex’d sprained her ankle. Do you know what kind of suspicion I would of drawn had I not helped? Besides what does that have to do with anything?”

“She found something of ours when she was out there on her own and we want it back.”

“So you thought I had whatever it was in my quarters? Is that why you searched it?” Jaebeom replied still sounding offended. “and what do you mean our fight looked staged? Wouldn’t you have been pissed if someone called you a male whore? She’s such a prude. I couldn’t let her just slam me like that.”

When the colonel replied you could hear the smile in his words, “Well she did kinda show you were a horny bastard, but then again you probably weren’t the only one to get a rise out of her little strip tease show. I know I did.”

Jaebeom was glad he was on the phone and not face to face or he would have lost it and taken the Security Forces Commander out right then and there. Instead, he held the phone from his mouth, took a deep breath to calm himself, before responding with, “So I gather you searched her quarters as well and found nothing. What are you looking for anyways?”

“Diamonds and a very important note that tells us where some of our other merchandise is to be picked up and some pretty bobbles should be delivered.”

“Damn!” exclaimed Jaebeom. “How do I get a piece of the action? Stark may not trust me much as a person, but we are still co-workers. Anything thing I can do to help?”

“”Yeah. Prove to me you’re trust worthy first, and then we can negotiate your fee. You must have something on Stark that will make her talk.”

“I know a thing or two,” offered Jaebeom.

After hanging up with the colonel, Jaebeom called his crew members to find they had just joined up together and were already tracking Lexy, Jinyoung, and Jackson. A quick discussion with the three Americans and he gave them a script to follow if needed. 

Finalizing their plans, Jaebeom set off to the location where Lumbard said Lexy was being taken. Since this corresponded to where his crew said it looked like Jackson and Jinyoung were taking her, he felt a bit more confident the colonel at least was giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Entering the warehouse, Lexy feigned shock and dismay as Jackson and Jinyoung simultaneous grabbed and restrained her. Out of the shadows she spotted a tall figure that was none other than the Security Forces Commander. With him were several other people she recognized and a few ROK AF personnel who she didn’t.

Protesting the restraining arms, Lexy verbally lashed out at Jinyoung and Jackson shouting in rage, “What the hell? You said you guys were undercover cops working with me to take down the trafficking ring.”

”Money talks,” offered Jackson cavalierly.

”Diamonds to be precise,” chimed in Jinyoung who offered a big smile that made the lines on his eyes crease with a clear twinkle of avarice.

Twisting and pulling on the arms restraining her, Lexy was no match for the muscles of the two men, but she did get off a decent stomp on Jackson’s foot and a kick at Jinyoung’s crotch, that almost cost him his purchase on her. 

“Damn B#$^%!” shouted Jinyoung who slammed Lexy to the ground with a thud and then, after knocking the wind from her, dragged her to a chair in the middle of the room. The two undercover cops proceeded to tie her to the chair's arm rests on either side, feet together, and ultimately placed a gag in her mouth when she refused to stop spitting profanity and curses at everyone in the room.

"You’re quite a piece of work,” said Lumbard as he approached his captive. Running his hand down her face and the side of her body, the older man leered at the girl before reluctantly pulling back. Time enough for that later. First the diamonds and the coordinates. It was then that Jaebeom strode into the room.

Lexy trained her eye on the new arrival and glared at him with all the hate she felt towards the man who just touched her. She was furious at the colonel and simultaneously frightened that Jaebeom was here. He could be put in danger. She doubted Lumbard trusted him fully and wasn’t sure if his temper could be restrained, especially if he’d seen what the colonel had just done and the hint of what was to come.

Lexy was right. Lumbard didn’t fully trust Jaebeom. In a flash, Jaebeom found himself with a gun to his head. The colonel at the other end was smiling at him with a deadly grin.

Jaebeom clenched his jaw, jutted out his chin subconsciously like he always did when feeling challenged or defiant and refused to blink, not like anyone would know if he did blink given how small his eyes were on a good day. The room was dimly lit, but the gun pointed at him by the full bird colonel was clearly visible and the threat was palatable. 

“Not sure I can trust you, Capt. Im,” said Col. Lumbard matter-of-factually.

“Well then,” offered Jaebeom in a tone he hoped would sound nonchalant and unperturbed. “How about I demonstrate it to you? I assume getting you the diamonds back should suffice as proof of my allegiance.”

This retort was said as a statement, rather than a question asking permission to proceed. So Jaebeom turned his back to the gun wielding Security Forces Commander and sauntered confidently towards the figure tied up to a chair in the center of the room. Jaebeom knew the weapon was still trained on him, so every move he made was calculated to change the dynamics of the situation.

Leaning over the seated captive in the center of the dilapidated warehouse, Jaebeom placed his hands on the arm rests next to the struggling wrists which were securely fastened there. In a deep voice that sounded even more threatening because it was delivered in a low volume, he prompted, “So Stark. Where are the diamonds?”

The bound and gagged captain uttered what closely resembled a growl of defiance at him.

Jaebeom smirked. His crooked smile, that could look playful at times, looked more like the twisted grin of the Joker relishing the fact that he was in control. Removing the gag, he asked the question again, but instead a verbal response, he ended up with spit trickling down his face.

Jaebeom pulled his arm back as if to strike, but thought better of it. Instead he wiped off the offending saliva and laughed in a crazed, almost maniacal way. Capt. Stark replied with a level tone, “Why would I tell you? Then there’d be no reason to keep me alive.”

Jaebeom grinned, almost as though he enjoyed the logic of this statement, before assuring the other that there were plenty of other things they could do that were far worse than killing. When this reminder was received with an intrepid response consisting of a dismissive shoulder shrug, Jaebeom casually pulled out his phone.

“Let’s see how brave you are when someone you care about is at risk of death then,” he sneered as he dialed a number.

After a few rings, the line was answered on the other end.

“You have him, right? Good.” Turning he asked, “Want to check to see?”

White faced and clearly taken aback by the unanticipated power play, Stark listened intently then spoke into the receiver, “Chris? Chris? Are you okay?”

“So? Will you tell me now? Where – Are – The – Diamonds?”

“Okay. I’ll tell you, but I need assurances that he won’t be harmed,” came the response that was more tempered and subdued. 

Jaebeom nodded his head in assent and pressed for details.

“I put them in Hanger 10, on base, during the Combat Dining In. But, you’ll have to take me there. That’s all I’ll tell you for now. You could tear the place apart, but without me you’ll never find them before a week’s out, because the package was small, and I hid them very well and in an inconspicuous spot. I’ll only tell you when we get there and I know Chris is safe.”

Turning to the colonel with the gun, Jaebeom raised an eyebrow to gain approval to proceed.

“Go ahead,” came the terse response, gun still trained at Jaebeom’s head.

As Jaebeom began untying the feet and then hands of his captive, he heard the cynical words, “To think I thought we were friends,” being spoken, followed by another comment that was barely a whisper. Looking up, Jaebeom raised a single eyebrow in response.

Once the bonds were freed, Stark stood up. Stretching a bit to reestablish circulation at the extremities, a few pops could be heard as both knuckles and neck were cracked. One last sigh of release was given then, turning towards Jaebeom, quick as a flash a fist flew fast and hard against his jaw snapping his neck to the side before he even knew what hit him.

“That’s for Chris,” was the comment before the two Asian males standing behind moved forward rapidly to restrain the captain’s arms to prevent further assault. The shorter of the two threw the captain to the ground, while the dark haired male grabbed a handful of hair, slamming the pinned captive’s head against warehouse’s concrete floor until there was no further resistance.

Jaebeom nursed his aching jaw, but took no further action other than menacingly commenting in the direction of the three people on the floor, “I won’t forget that.” Turning, he noted that the colonel had lowered his gun and was chuckling.


	27. 가위 바위 보 WITH A TWIST

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Combat Dining In proves very interesting as Jaebeom and Lexy have to demonstrate that they don't have the diamonds or note on their person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has extra trigger warnings including a RPS variation of strip poker, sexual harassment both real and implied, and more as mentioned in the introduction.
> 
> Please use the Glossary & Acronym Guide for links and further details about combat dining ins to better and more fully appreciate the setting.

Lexy, Gordy, Jaebeom, and Celeste met up to head to the Combat Dining In set up in Hanger 10, which had been prepared for the night’s festivities. The four were dressed in their ABU’s with various additional modifications. Celeste had the local tailor, Mr. Oh, create her a pair of hot pants and top reminiscent of the 70’s made of ABU material to show off her legs. Gordy had a regular mess dress uniform made of ABU material for the event, while JB and Lexy went with standard ABU’s. Both had custom t-shirts made for the occasion.

Walking into the hanger, the four sat at the same table with the rest of the legal office staff. Each squadron was separated that way at the start for the opening of the Mess. At the head table was the Wing Commander, his deputy, the First Sergeant, and the base chaplain.

The mess was officially opened by the commander, and before the craziness of the evening began there was the more somber and traditional presentation of the colors, invocation, and a toast to those who died in combat or were MIA/POW. A MIA/POW table was present next to the head table and all raised glasses for the toast.

“This toast is for those of our comrades who are absent. We toast with water as they have no access to wine. After the toast remain silent and offer no response as they cannot speak. We honor their sacrifice and remember them for their bravery. To our absent comrades.”

With that, everyone raised their water glasses and drank. Silence fell for a full minute, before the commander announced that the creation of the Grog would begin.

As was the tradition, each squadron added something to the grog bowl. There was an alcoholic version and a non alcoholic version. The contents of each were equally as unappetizing, but as the squadrons proceeded to add to the concoctions, they proudly announced their contribution and its connection to their unit mission. The goal was to create beverages that were of dubious consumption quality at best. Many would lose their contents as a result of imbibing, and not just because of the alcohol content of the one.

In the non-alcoholic grog bowl, labeled ‘unleaded” chocolate milk, marshmallows, raisins, Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, orange juice, mandarin oranges, green tea, lemonade, and more were included. The alcoholic grog or “leaded” had more contributions which ranged from Sangria, to Sake, Soju, Brandy, beer, wine, some sand, a few dead flies, and more. For added effect, the inclusion of dry ice caused both bowls to give off a smoky mist.

To ensure the drinks were adequately prepared, the “Most Dependable Officer” was called forth to test the Grog. As was traditional, he approached the Grog, saluted the head table, secured a cup of the Grog, did an about face towards the mess, drank the contents of his cup and inverted it over his head to show he’d finished it. He then did another about face and announced to the head table that the Grog was missing something before it was complete and proceeded to add a sock to each bowl. He then repeated the steps from before announcing that the grog was ready for consumption.

With the Grog bowls officially open, the rules of the Mess needed to be followed or it would result in a trip to the Grog bowl. Some of the easier rules included no clapping (instead you would need to either pound or tap a spoon on the table), no toasting with an empty glass, and each toast required drinking the entire contents of the glass. Toasts could only be given when requested of the Mess President and approval given. And there was no pointing allowed; you had to use your elbow.

Another way to get sent to the grog bowl was through a challenge. The fun started almost immediately with people standing up and addressing the Mess President. To call someone out to go to the grog bowl you had to challenge them by first stating their name and pointing out something embarrassing about them. This all had to be done in rhyme and needed to be humorous. Failure to rhyme or amuse the mess would earn you, instead of your target, a trip to the grog bowl.

Getting to the Grog bowl was an ordeal in and of itself. This was no simple task, as you had to first go through the Gauntlet. The Gauntlet consisted of an obstacle course comprising a slip and slide version of the Aircraft Carrier Landing activity Lexy had described to them before, combat crawling through a baby pool of Legos, scaling barricades, tire and ladder obstacles, as well as a balance beam you had to cross after holding onto a bat and spinning around it five times. All these tasks needed to be done while singing the Air Force song before approaching the Grog bowl and while being bombarded from both with water pistols of all sized and water balloon “grenades.”

As the evening progressed, food was served in the form of MRE’s. Mid way through the evening there was a Song and Dance Challenge that Jaebeom entered. Lexy surreptitiously left to use the restroom while all eyes were on Jaebeom. She believed that no one was aware of her departure or return, as she was back before he was done. As the last of six contenders, Jaebeom amazed with his beautiful singing voice and spell bound everyone by intricate dance moves and free style B-boying. The noise of fists, hands, and spoons banging on the tables was deafening, as he was declared the winner without a shadow of a doubt.

Following the Song and Dance Challenge was the Gauntlet Challenge. The winner of the timed race through the Gauntlet would be declared the Warrior of the Mess. While dozens of people attempted the challenge, it was Lexy who made it through the fastest with the least errors. In fact, she was able to get through without once breaking song and without having to repeat the balance beam. 

As was her right after being declared the Warrior of the Mess, Lexy issued a challenge to Jaebeom.

“Captain Jaebeom Im,” she declared loudly. “I’ve known you long and though it’s sad, I have to say you are quite the cad. As a JAG you’re a disgrace, you should know your place is not with the girls in the bars. I challenge you to Rock Paper Scissors the question I ask is how far? Will you cop out and just go to the grog or try proving you are more than a dog?”

“Damn,” Jaebeom thought. “She’s going through with it to prove neither of us have the diamonds and note on us.” He hadn’t even been aware himself that she’d left his side at any point during the evening, but she apparently had. Probably, he mused, when he was singing and dancing. He’d been the one to provide her with the needed distraction and hadn’t even been aware of it.

“Capt Stark,” he replied in rhyme, “You’re a prude and quite rude. I accept your challenge and ranting, before the nights over I’ll see you’re down to bras and panties.”

Though this was not traditionally something seen at a Combat Dining In, the President of the Mess gave permission for them to proceed. Lexy bent down and unzipped her right boot. Taking it off, she threw it to the side and addressed the Mess President, “Sir, since Captain Im challenged me down to bra and pants I think it only fair to remove one article of clothing to begin us with an even number to remove.”

The Mess President nodded in ascent and the crown cheered and banged loudly in appreciation of her good will and show of fair play.

“How about we do this Korean Style,” suggested Jaebeom with a wink. “Instead of saying Rock Paper Scissors, how about we go with 가위 바위 보?” He said pronouncing the term gawi bawi bo.

Lexy shrugged her shoulders indicating that it made no difference to her, and they soon began.

Lexy lost the first two rounds, so off went her other boot and a sock. Several ties in a row followed various wins and losses until Jaebeom was left in just his ABU pants and T-shirt. The next round was a win for Lexy, so Jaebeom turned around, back to her and stripped off his T-shirt revealing his muscular back and broad shoulders.

Lexy had to really concentrate on keeping her blood pressure and pulse under control, as her first thought was of leaning against his back earlier in the day as he carried her. Fortunately, her martial arts training helped her keep at least an outward appearance of control. She nearly lost it though, when he turned around and she got a good look at his taught stomach with a chiseled six-pack and defined pecks. Again, she focused on his eyes and scowled at him, hoping any redness she may show would be attributed to anger rather than a rise in libido.

Lexy was down to her shirt and pants, and lost the next round. Bending down, she undid the blousing straps at the bottom of her ABU pants and then began to unbutton the front. Slowly, she began to lower her pants to the catcalls and whistle of many in the crowd.

Jaebeom was furious. He wanted so badly to take out his anger on those who were treating Lexy like a piece of meat, but he dared not break character, so he kept his eyes fixed on hers. He hoped that everyone would think he was anger at her for calling him out earlier. Lexy, in turn, kept her eyes lock on Jaebeom’s. She knew that if she wavered and looked elsewhere she would die of embarrassment. 

Flinging her pants aside, Lexy stood up in only her black T-shirt that read “51st Legal Eagles.” Fortunately, it was long enough to just barely cover her underwear, but to many in the crowd this was nothing but a tease and merely increased the calls to “take it off.” The only thing that was less than perfect was a dark blue-black mark on her right ankle.

The next round was won by Lexy, so Jaebeom stripped off his pants, leaving him in nothing but a pair a dark blue form fitting boxer shorts. Though he knew his body was well defined and better than decent, years of ridicule and stereotypical comments about Asian men not being well endowed brought up old insecurities. Nonetheless, he stood tall and proud with his hands casually hanging to this sides. 

The next round went to Jaebeom, requiring Lexy to remove her shirt. Jaebeom hoped that she’d taken his advice and wore some conservative undergarments, but was concerned that she didn’t since she’d ignored all the other advice pertaining to the RPS stripping in the first place. 

Lexy took her time removing the shirt. She teased a bit, by beginning to pull up the hem of her shirt, then dropping it down again and wagging her finger at Jaebeom. Then she slowly pulled it up and off, dropping it in a heap near her bare feet.

Jaebeom tried with all his might to keep his eyes trained on Lexy’s face, but he failed. Her maneuver made him look at the hem of her shirt and the slow appearance of her panties and skin and then bra.

Standing in front of him was the girl he adored in nothing but a pair of black lacy boy briefs and a matching lacy bra. He knew his jaw dropped open as he took in her curves and well defined stomach. He also knew that the heat rising in him was not limited to his face and after a moment’s hesitation he scooped up his pants and held them in front to cover his unbidden reaction. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he wasn’t sure which, most of the guys in the room were looking at Lexy. The girls, however, were staring at his less than appropriate response to Lexy.

“Guess I win,” noted Lexy in an even tone belying her own emotions and embarrassment. “You just proved you are a cad, and I proved I am no prude. Off to the grog bowl with you!”

With that she began to casually pick up her discarded clothing. While she wanted to just grab everything and make a run for it, she counted slowly in her head to keep her pace looking calm and methodical. She had collected everything except her ABU blouse, when she heard footsteps approaching.

Mark Tuan, the OSI Agent she’d worked with recently, was approaching her with her ABU blouse in hand. Without saying anything, he gently draped it over her shoulders providing some much appreciated coverage. With a nod of thanks she left the Mess area and headed towards the bathrooms.

“Captain Stark?” called Agent Tuan, as he hurried to catch up with her.

“Yes?” she answered somewhat dismissively, wanting nothing more than to have a moment by herself to recover her composure. She really didn’t want interaction with anyone.

“Well,” he began hesitantly. “You know I’m kind a quiet. I don’t even usually ask many questions during interrogation.”

Lexy nodded, though not sure where this was leading or the relevance to the current situation.

“My specialty is nonverbal communication and reading of body language.” Mark hesitated a moment before proceeding. “I know that for most people they would have taken tonight as two people who were angry with one another, but I thought it looked more like a dance. A Tango? Flirting actually. You’re not that easy to read, but Captain Im is like an open book. He was not only obviously turned on by what you did, but he was furious that you did it and that the guys there were treating you the way they did.” 

Again Mark paused, searching Lexy’s face for some hint that he was either on target or off base. She was good though at keeping a poker face. “And what difference would it make either way, Agent Tuan?”

“Please. Call me Mark.” As he spoke Mark Tuan turned a bit red. He had been a bit more blunt and tactless than he planned to be. Words really were something he often struggled with. “The difference is that it seemed there was a reason you had to strip. I also noted that there were one too many shared looks between Agent Dent, my commander and the Security Forces Commander Colonel Lumbard. Something is off and I’m not sure what it is. All I know is that Captain Im definitely looked at me to follow you and keep you safe. I would bet my life on it.”

Lexy’s composure nearly crumbled at the thought that this baby faced man could pick up so much in such a short amount of time, and that Jaebeom knew he had this talent and engaged him as basically her body guard.

“I’m sure you’re over analyzing things. As for my safety, I’m pretty capable of taking care of myself.”

“I have no doubt you can take care of yourself, but that doesn’t mean you have to go it alone you know. And, I don’t think I’m over analyzing anything. My boss has asked me to do some translations from Korean to English and vice versa, and frankly, I think something is up. And would bet what you two did tonight has something to do with it somehow. How you orchestrated the Rock Paper Scissor game to end evenly though, is beyond me. But I don’t think it was just luck.”

“May I give you some advice, Tuan? It would be wise to keep such comments to yourself. Understand?” Said Lexy, pausing momentarily before saying, “Thanks for your concern anyway.”

With that, she turned and entered the bathroom. As the door closed, she slumped against the sink, as she all but collapsed to the ground. Cold water splashed on her face was the first order of business. She was so flustered by Jaebeom’s reaction to her that she turned red and heated anytime she merely thought about it. She had intended to keep her eyes trained on his face, but that happy trail caught her attention as his abs were revealed and then….

Shaking her head to dispel the image, Lexy took several minutes to regain her composure and to get dressed again. As she left the bathroom, she found Mark casually leaning against the wall waiting for her. His presence was reassuring, and the fact that he had pieced together so much with just observation was amazing. She only hoped he would not say anything to his superior, or anyone else for that matter, as she was worried for his safety as well as the possibility that he would inadvertently reveal that she and Jaebeom were working together rather than being at odds.

Lexy and Mark returned to the Mess to find Jaebeom had completed the Gauntlet and successfully drank from the grog bowl. Celeste, rushed over and began to say something, but with Mark still present, she only offered to leave with her anytime she wanted.

Lexy waited another half hour before taking Celeste up on her offer. It was the longest half hour ever, but she didn’t want it to seem like she was rushing out. Jaebeom had left shortly after heading to the grog bowl, his defeat already clear for everyone to see, so was not unexpected or suspicious.

When Lexy returned to her quarters, she noted that the security measures she had set in place to detect if anyone had entered showed tampering. A quick call to Jaebeom confirmed that his room had been entered as well while they were gone. Though there was no other evidence of a search, they both knew that one had taken place. At Jaebeom’s insistence, Lexy secured her front door with a chair under the door handle, knowing that whoever had entered could do so again anytime. While he expressed concern for her safety in this manner, Jaebeom pointedly avoided discussing what happened at the Dining In before wishing her goodnight. 

With the diamonds and note securely hidden in Hanger 10, and proof they didn’t have them on their person, it was only a matter of time before one or the other were taken in order for them to be interrogated. Before turning in, Lexy sent a text to both Jackson and Jinyoung:

“Diamonds and coordinates found and secured. Proceed with Operation WWW tomorrow.”

After sending the text, she deleted her call and text history, as she did after every communication, then took a shower and went to bed. While the stress of the day had been very fatiguing, she had trouble sleeping. Recalling the night’s events made it a challenge.

Jaebeom lay in bed tossing and turning. He couldn’t understand why Lexy had worn such provocative underwear. How come she even owned such garments? It’s not like she had time to go buy them after the Hash and before the Dining In, so did that mean there was more about her that he didn’t know? Those thoughts and his reaction to seeing her in a state of almost undress made for fitful sleep.


	28. CONFESSIONS AND EAVESDROPPING

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaebeom confesses, but Lexy hesitates responding. Later he overhears that Jinyoung's the one she feels is a perfect match.

Hours later, Jaebeom finally finished his debriefing and headed home. Lexy was still giving her statement, so helping to pass the time waiting for her to return, he fixed himself a quick bite to eat after a hot shower. It'd been a long afternoon and evening, but productive. He hoped his conversation with Lexy when she returned would be even more so.

When Jaebeom's phone rang, he was please to hear Mark on the line giving him the heads up that Lexy had finished up and was heading home. Since the quarters weren't very soundproof, he had little difficulty hearing when she opened and closed her door. Knowing her pattern of behavior – jump straight into the shower for a quick but thorough wash - he waited 20 minutes before heading over.

Lexy finally felt a bit more human after scraping off the filth from the day and getting into a pair of loose sweats and oversized T-shirt. What she didn't expect was the knock on the door.

“Hey,” said Jaebeom, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Can we talk?” Without waiting for a reply, he entered Lexy's quarters closing the door behind him. His forward progression forced her to step back a few paces.

While Jaebeom had thought long and hard about what he would say when he saw Lexy, finding himself face to face with her made all his plans just evaporate. After a moment of strained silence, Lexy stretched out her right hand towards Jaebeom's jaw commenting, “Does it hurt much?” and then moved to pull her hand back.

Jaebeom's hand prevented her from withdrawing too far, and then held her hand to his face saying, “It hurts, but you saved my life by doing that. So, thank you.”

Still holding her hand, which prevented her from retreating, Jaebeom moved closer until he could easily bend over and kiss her on her forehead. “I would have bet my life that you shared the same feelings after our kiss that night, but these last few weeks have been a strain and there were moments when I wondered if it was me projecting. I admit that I was super jealous of Jinyoung and Jackson, and even felt slighted that you cut me out of your plans leading up to today. But after hearing that you were trying to protect me, well...”

Jaebeom wanted to hear the words directly from Lexy, not from a third party. Looking her deeply in the eyes he said, “I know expressing your feelings is hard, and it probably even makes you feel uncomfortable and a bit out of control, so take all the time you need. But, know this, I really care about you,” At that he stepped back and let go of her hand and added, “I love you. And I can wait as long as you need.” Smiling at her sweetly he wrapped up by saying, “You know where to find me when you're ready.” With that Jaebeom slowly turned and walked towards and out her door.

Jaebeom walked as slowly as he could without it looking too obvious, hoping that Lexy would run right after him, but as he entered his quarters and closed the door he felt a bit deflated and his insecurities hit really hard. Maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe he HAD been projecting his own feelings on her. Maybe Mark's Chinese wasn't all that good or Jackson misunderstood what he heard. But then again, no. He was sure that she felt the same way he did. Slumping against his door depleted of energy, he sank to the floor.

Lexy was stunned. She hadn't expected Jaebeom to confess to her. She didn't even know how to begin to respond. She knew how she felt about him, but having seen him with a gun pointed at his head, her fears of again losing someone she loved petrified her. As she was mulling through her emotions, she heard a knock at the door. Thinking it was Jaebeom returning, she opened it without checking. She should have known it wasn't Jaebeom who always knocked in a 1-3-4 pattern. 

Standing there, were General Hammond's XO, Major Ross, and the 51st Wing Commander Colonel John Red. While Lexy had never spoken with Colonel Red, she did know Maj Ross who offered, “General Hammond wants you to meet up with him now. No need to change. Time is of the essence.”

“Oh,” she replied, turning into her apartment. “Let me just get my keys and phone while you get Capt Im.”

“Captain Im was contacted earlier and left straight to meet the General after finishing up at the OSI HQ,” interjected the colonel.

Lexy was thankful that her back was turned, as she was sure her face would have given away the fact that she knew they were lying. Slowly she returned and proceeded out of her place flanked by the two she now suspected were key in the trafficking ring. What she didn't know was how to get word to Jaebeom.

Fortunately, Jaebeom, still sitting on the floor by his front door heard the entire conversation and immediately called for backup and then carefully followed after the threesome. Within short order Major Ross and Colonel Red were apprehended, with some thanks to Lexy's martial arts prowess and Jaebeom's fast thinking. This, of course meant that the two ended up back at OSI for an additional debriefing.

Since several of the other players apprehended earlier in the night were still be investigated, Lexy was the first to go in, leaving Jaebeom to wait for an available interrogation room and IG agent.

Lexy was finally done – again – and she was feeling a bit light headed. Making her way to the OSI break room, she found Celeste mulling over a cup of coffee.

“What're you doing here?” asked Lexy, surprised to see her office mate and fellow JAG.

Apparently, Celeste had been approached by Maj Ross earlier that evening under the guise that he was interested in dating her. Turns out he was a bit of a letch, so she had come to report him for inappropriate advances, since he had suggested she leave with him and take some photographs that were less than PG.

“I've not been honest,” confessed the statuesque female. “It's a bit shameful.” At that she explained that she really wasn't boy crazy or remotely promiscuous. In fact, she'd never had a steady boyfriend. She was actually very shy and uncomfortable with her looks and the response they generated. When she'd arrived at Osan, Gordy had been her sponsor. She immediately was attracted to his surfer boy looks and ready smile. He was super friendly and sweet. Her first weekend in country he'd invited her to go clubbing, something else she had never done before in her life, only to find he was quickly swept away in the crowd by dozens of local and military girls. Thinking this was the type of girl Gordy liked, she pretended to be the same, only to basically be dismissed by him from that point on.

“I'm embarrased and not sure what to do,” Celeste confessed.

“How about the truth? The worst that could happen is that he won't talk to you or hang out with you much, but since he's basically already doing that you have nothing to lose,” offered the diminutive captain.

After saying she would think it over and probably take that advice, Celeste commented, “So this whole drug and sex trafficking thing. You and JB have been working it together?” Though it was a question, it was said more like a statement. “So does that mean your three year friendship with him wasn't messed up by that juicy girl, who I understand was actually Korean LE?”

“Something like that,” replied Lexy who was too worn out and unsure if she should be sharing about the generals subterfuge and her and Jaebeom's fake long-term friendship.

“This would make a fantastic Kdrama!” noted Celeste.

“Wouldn't it just!”

“So who do you think would play me and you?” giggled Celeste.

“'The only one who I can immediately think would play anyone is ….”

“Kim Soo Hyun for Jinyoung!” they both said simultaneously and turning a touch red in the face and bursting in to laughter that lasted a good bit.

Unbeknownst to the two, Jaebeom appeared around the corned of the break room as the conversation continued. Sensing he was intruding, he stayed a bit back and didn't announce his presence.

“Jinyoung's the only perfect match in my books. I mean the hair, the height, that dazzling smile and those eyes, as well as the way he acts. Did you know he can sing too? His voice is smooth as can be,” elaborated Lexy.

“Don't forget the cute big ears and, though it seems a bit inappropriate to say, his plump kissable lips and that peach!” chimed in Lexy.

Both girls snickered and turned a bit red in the face.

“What about JB?” asked Celeste, turning serious again. 

“Nope. No match. Not even a chance of one” came the response.

After overhearing this part of the conversation, a dejected Jaebeom retreated without the girls being aware he's ever been there.

Lexy continued, “You can't match perfection.”

“Then why don't you tell him that? He clearly has a thing for you.”

Lexy, thinking about Jaebeom's earlier confession, felt her ears turn hot and red. Silence hung in the air until Celeste commented that Lexy should take her own advice and be open and honest.


	29. Clarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amazing what a little communicaion can resolve.

Jaebeom stood over Lexy's sleeping body which was curled up on her couch. He had planned on avoiding her for a few days and then thought he would approach her and tell her to forget about his earlier confession, passing it off as a spontaneous thing that was driven by adrenaline, stress, and increased hormones due to the near death experience with Lumbard and the wrapping up of the trafficking case. He thought doing this would give Lexy the out she needed so she could be happy with Jinyoung, while avoiding him having to hear a rejection. He's also hoped it would make her feel more comfortable around him, allowing for them to remain friends. 

The only reason he was standing where he was now was the note Lexy had left on his pillow saying she wanted to talk with him. He was worried that she would stay up waiting for his return instead of getting much needed sleep after her own traumatic experiences of the last several hours. Looking down at the small figure, he wanted more than friendship, but was willing to settle for that over not having her in his life at all. 

Jaebeom reluctantly left her for a moment to turn down the covers on Lexy's bed before going back to the living room, picking her up and placing her in bed. Like previous occasions when he had done this, Lexy remained sleeping throughout the transfer. Once in bed, he pulled up her covers and sat on the floor so that he could rest his head next to hers while holding her hand. He wanted to savor these last few moments where he could imagine that he, and not Jinyoung, was the one she cared for.

After several minutes, he finally decided he needed to leave. Staying was only prolonging the painful constricting feeling he felt across his chest. As he stood, he noted that Lexy was also holding onto his hand, so he gently began extricating himself from her hold, but she didn't let go.

“Jaebeom-ah,” came the soft voice in the dimly lit room.

Though he knew it was probably too dark to see the details of his face, Jaebeom turned his back to Lexy. “Go back to sleep. We can talk later. I just wanted to make sure you weren't waiting up for me.”

“Sorry I must have dozed off. Can't we talk now?” came the apologetic reply.

“There's really nothing to talk about,” he began, dreading the words he would say that would cut the girl out of his life before she could do it to him first. “If this is about what I said earlier, just forget it. I think I was a little more rattled by Lumbard holding that gun to my head than I thought. The adrenaline release after that, along with general stress and stupid male hormones, had me saying stuff I didn't really mean. You know that you're just a friend to me, and I don't want to mess that up because of my stupid comment earlier, okay?”

Silence hung in the air as Jaebeom held his breath. He knew it was just wishful thinking that her grip on his hand tightened, but the imagined sensation reminded him that they were still holding hands. Carefully he tried to extricate his hand, but her grip did tighten, so he reached down with his other hand and pushed hers off.

As Lexy heard Jaebeom say he didn't mean what he'd said before, she could feel the blood drain from her face. She felt as though her whole body was going numb and then, like the pain when sensation returns after having pins and needles, she felt a sharp jabbing feeling begin in her chest that began to spread along with a sick sensation in the pit of her stomach. Instinctively she held on to his hand tighter until he physically pushed her away.

Defensiveness kicked in and Lexy lashed out in pain. “Why do you even think I would care? You're right. We're only friends. Maybe not even that. I mean Jinyoung and Jackson...” She stopped there. She didn't want to hurt him with comparisons that weren't even true and her words weren't making her feel better. On the contrary, they made her feel worse and tears began to pool in her eyes. Besides, if he didn't love her then he wouldn't care anyway. Her words however didn't sound cruel. They sounded wounded, like an animal that bit and lashed out when it was hurt.

Jaebeom heard the pain and began second guessing himself until she mentioned Jinyoung's name. That's when he lost his composure and opened his mouth and heart; pain of being rejected for Jinyoung poured out in a non stop barrage.

“Right. Go ahead and mention your precious Jinyoung who is so perfect. Tall, handsome Jinyoung who acts to well, with his perfect abs and butt and plump kissable lips, who can sing. Well in case you didn't notice, I'm tall too. My abs may not be as defined as his, but my shoulders and back are broader and more muscular. And, and,” he stuttered trying to think of a comeback, “I have stronger thighs. I can sing too, or were you too busy hiding the diamonds to hear that at the Dining In? Okay my eyes aren't big like his, but neither are my ears. And as I recall, you didn't seem to object to my lips and our kiss. Jinyoung,” he said sarcastically, “your perfect match, unlike me who is not a match in any way at all.” 

Here Jaebeom took another breath, all the anger and frustration having been vented. He continued in a softer voice barely loud enough to hear. “I heard you and Celeste talking. I wanted to make out that I hadn't and act all cooly and pretend I didn't care to save face and give you an out. I didn't want to hear you tell me that it was Jinyoung you loved. I want to at least keep you in my life as a friend, though that's far from what I want.”

With that Jaebeom turned and headed for the door feeling he'd blown any chance of maintaining their friendship because of his outburst, but before he took a step, he heard Lexy shout, “Kim Soo Hyun!” His forward progress arrested.

Again she said, “Kim Soo Hyun. We were talking about the actor.”

Jaebeom turned, and in the dim light Lexy could make out the confused expression on his face.

“You know,” she elaborate, “he was in the movie 'Secretly Greatly' and the dramas 'The Producer' and 'Moon Embracing the Sun'.”

Jaebeom shook his head.

“Dream High and Dream High 2?” she prompted.

“Never head of them,” came the flat response, showing that he clearly didn't understand the connection between this actor and their conversation.

“My Love from the Stars?” asked Lexy hopefully.

A glimmer of light. “Oh the guy with the ...”

“Prominent ears,” finished Lexy.

Jaebeom shook his head like he was trying to loosen cobwebs, so Lexy continued. “Celeste thought the whole situation was like a Kdrama and asked who we thought would play each person. The only one we thought was a perfect match was Kim Soo Hyun playing Jinyoung.”

Lexy stopped talking. Jaebeom was trying to process what she was saying. “Then if there was no match for me that means. What?”

“That no one can be you except you.”

With that Lexy walked over to Jaebeom and wrapped her arms around his waist.


	30. Stereotypes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get very personal and extremely heated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caution. This one is suggestive, to say the least. Make sure to listen to the songs at the end and focus on the lyrics. We aren't talking gardening, math, and bicycles!

Lexy's arms were wrapped around Jaebeom and she was resting her head against his back. She could feel his strong fast heart beat and hear the thumping as it escalated. His stomach muscles were twitching with nerves and excitement.

Jaebeom's hands reached up and held on to Lexy's for a moment before he unwrapped her arms from around him and turned to embrace her fully. Looking in her eyes he felt so many emotions that his breath hitched momentarily. Slowly he moved forward and began kissing her and he all but lost his reasoning when her arms repositioned around his neck and she jumped up wrapped her legs around his waist.

As if on autopilot, Jaebeom walked back to the bed with Lexy in his arms. Kneeling down on the bed with one knee and then gently lowering Lexy down, his heart and emotions had taken over his body. Jaebeom found himself peppering kisses along Lexy's jaw line, down her neck, and up to her ear where he whispered in an out of breath voice, “Saranghae.”

Much to his surprise, Jaebeom found himself flipped onto his back, Lexy astride of him. He had forgotten that though she was petite, she was an adept martial artist. He let out a laugh at being overpowered by this girl and seemed to enjoy the dominance she was displaying, as it meant she was just as into him as he was her.

Lexy bent down to kiss Jaebeom. She could tell his whole body was receptive and reacting to her and she just wanted more of him, when suddenly he sat up and shifted her off his lap and to his side. He was looking away from her with his brow furrowed in thought.

“Did I do something wrong?” asked Lexy, in a voice that showed concern and worry.

Jaebeom turned to her and looked directly into her eyes. For a long while he just gazed at her adoringly, before replying in a voice thick with lust, “No, You're doing everything just perfectly. I just need to slow things down before I can't stop. I don't think you have any idea what kind of an effect you have on me.”

Lexy's giggle was a combination of nervousness and delight at his words.

“I want this to be perfect. Us to be perfect,” offered Jaebeom. “I need to get this right for you and for me. I don't want you to regret anything because you weren't thinking clearly because of exhaustion, the stress and tension of the day. I want us to be fully invested in each other not just physically, but emotionally and intellectually, and in every way. Because of that, I have to share something with you before we go any further. You have a right to know somethings about me that I'm frankly quite ashamed to admit. It could be a game changer, but I don't want to hide anything from you. After you hear me out, I'll abide by whatever you decide. No pressure. No judgement.”

Lexy could tell whatever Jaebeom had to share was a heavy burden on him, so she merely nodded to encourage him to proceed while she wondered what could be so bad that it could be a game changer as he suggested.

“Have you ever had a time in your life when people judged you unfairly or a situation was unfair, and your reaction was less than appropriate?” he asked.

Lexy merely nodded, while her mind ran through a series of events in her past. The unbidden memories of graduation ceremonies, swearing in to the bar, taking her oath of office, and pinning on captain flowed past her mind like a movie on recall. All the other people had family and friends in attendance, while she was left standing alone and isolated. Looks of pity and judgement on the faces of those around her making her feel less than and unworthy. At the graduation ceremonies people shouted out and cheered when the names of other students were called, but nothing but silence greeted her when her name was announced. The awkwardness was more than she could bear, so when she pinned on captain she'd sent herself a bouquet of flowers to make others believe she had some support that just couldn't be there.

Jaebeom noticed a cloud descend upon Lexy. Her demeanor and face became somber and a bit withdrawn. He knew he would have to find out more at a later time, if she even wanted to remain with him after sharing his past.

Taking a deep breath, Jaebeom recounted how he had faced discrimination in middle school. People had judged him, assuming he wasn't bright because he had been born and raised in the US. His Korean wasn't fluent at first and, though his mind was sharp, he was labeled stupid by many. Not included in study groups or befriended, he worked hard to master Korean and become top in his classes. He longed to return to the States and his deal with his parent was contingent upon his grades, but he also wanted to prove to everyone that he was bright. As he climbed the ranks in his class, rumors were spread that he was cheating or that his parents were buying off the teachers. He was never acknowledged as smart.

Upon returning to the States, unlike in elementary school, he faced a different sort of discrimination. Everyone assumed he was smart because he was Asian. It was as if his ethnicity received all the credit for his hard work and diligence. Again he strove to be the top in his class to prove that it was his effort alone that earned him his grades and not some luck of genetics. 

In his sophomore year, when he began dual enrollment in college, an additional stereotype was thrown into the mix. Not only were Asians presumed to be gifted and not needing to study, Asian males were regularly ridiculed for not being well endowed. This infuriated Jaebeom no end, especially when those making these generalities had zero personal experience or knowledge of the matter. So, when he turned 18 Jaebeom took it upon himself to disprove this, at least as far as it pertained to him.

“I'm not proud of what I did or who I became. In essence, for over a year, I was the playboy you depicted me as in our JAG school scenario.” Jaebeom explained what he meant by that, unable to meet Lexy in the eyes.

Jaebeom had a personal mission to prove the stereotype was wrong. He recounted the day he went to the pharmacy to “stock up” and the guy behind the counter made a suggestive comment that really infuriated him. That night at a club he went home with a girl who said her roommate was out of town. Upon entering the apartment he knew he'd been there before but couldn't remember if it was the girl he was with that night or possibly the roommate, whose face he maybe couldn't recall, who had taken him there before.

“I had a reality check right then there and immediately left. I'm not proud of who I was or what I did during that time. I was never in it for a relationship. I would even go so far as to admit most weren't even known to me by name, much less anything else personal, as talking or conversations rarely if ever took place. To some degree, I think that I was not much better than those who deal with trafficked women, the only difference is that all encounters were consensual. After that night I decided to limit intimacy to a time when I found someone I really cared about. I poured myself into my studies and then into my work. Interestingly enough I found it was the desire to prove myself as a man and not the sex itself that had been the driving force of my actions before. Until I met you, I never met anyone who I wanted to have a relationship with.”

Here Jaebeom stopped. Still looking at the ground and avoiding eye contact, he wasn't sure how Lexy was taking what he was sharing, as she hadn't made a sound. He was worried he had driven her off; repulsed her. But he wanted their relationship to be based on truth. Full disclosure, even if it resulted in her pushing him away, was what he thought was needed to ensure their relationship would be on firm ground.

“So are you saying you haven't made love to anyone in over five years?”

“No. I'm saying I haven't had sex during that time and if you and I make love it will be the first time for me too,” Jaebeom said, as he finally mustered the courage to look at Lexy.

Lexy was looking at Jaebeom with an expression that he couldn't read and, then she asked “What do you mean if we make love? Don't you mean when?”

Jaebeom hesitantly asked, “Does this mean you accept me despite all I've told you?

“We all have a past we're working through and you're clearly not that person anymore. Without that past you may not have been as readily able to convince Lumbard of your legitimacy. We learn and grow from our pasts, right? Hopefully taking away the good parts and moving on from the bad. It's not like I don't come with baggage.”

Hearing this, Jaebeom scooped Lexy into his arms and held her tightly while saying, “Thank you. I promise not to let you down.”

The two stayed in their embrace for a good long while, neither wanting to move on for the moment.

Finally, Jaebeom pulled back and looked Lexy in the eye. “I should probably go for now. I'm not exactly trust worthy when it comes to how I feel about you and what I'd like to do right now. I may be optimistic but I kinda think you're not much different.”

“Why does that mean you need to leave though?” came the innocent question.

Jaebeom seemed a little embarrassed as he explained that though he had dreamed of being with Lexy, he'd made no preparations for that. He wanted to make sure she felt the same about him first.

“So you mean you're not walking around with pockets full of ….,” Lexy began before she was interrupted with a kiss.

“No. I told you. It's been five years.”

“Talk about stereotypes. Why is it always on the guy?” Lexy said as she pointed over to her bedside table. Jaebeom almost fell off the side of the bed in surprise making an assumption that wasn't quite accurate. 

“Between duty stations I did a short three month tour in the Middle East. Before heading out there, the doctors at Nellis let all the female troops know that sand was a big problem. I'll leave that up to your imagination. They offered a solution to prevent getting our periods while deployed. Turns out birth control also fixed my serious menstrual cramping, so I just kept using it.” Lexy almost laughed at the shocked expression on Jaebeom's face. “But if you'd rather play it extra safe...”

Jaebeom kissed her again, but this time deeply, preventing any more unnecessary conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Now use your imagination as you listen to these songs!
> 
> "DEEPER" https://youtu.be/xrCOazMPxhE 
> 
> "TWO" https://youtu.be/xrCOazMPxhE 
> 
> "RIDE" https://youtu.be/LSjmy7lNdDo


	31. History Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things heat up between Jaebeom and Lexy. And for those who wonder what Youngjae has been up to, this week you will find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caution. Trigger warning. This chapter is suggestive, like the last one.

Jaebeom woke before Lexy and enjoyed the quiet while drinking in the feel of the girl in his arms while memorizing the details of her face. For the first time in forever he felt completely at peace and in need of no defenses. As the girl stirred a bit in the early stages of awakening, he gently swept the hair from her eyes and forehead.

Before opening her eyes, Lexy felt as though she was in a protective cocoon. She could feel the beating of her heart and the rise and fall of Jaebeom's chest as he breathed. For a moment she thought she was merely dreaming again, as there was no way before last night she ever thought she would be so fortunate as to be with the guy she adored. It was only when she felt his fingers carefully brush the hair draping across her eyes that she dared look for his face.

“I thought you left,” she commented, a little concern in her voice.

“I stepped out for a moment when I thought you were asleep. Needed to put a note on our doors for the ajumma so she wouldn't walk in on us,” he explained.

Lexy startled at the though, but relaxed into Jaebeom's arms with a little giggle, as he explained that he told her a white lie and, in Hangeul, let her know to skip the cleaning of both rooms as they had been 'working the night shift.'

"I also scavenged for some breakfast. Do you realize that between the two of us I could only find some juice, two protein bars, and one banana? That's pretty pathetic. We'll need to get some shopping done later or tomorrow morning we're gonna be starving. Speaking of which, are you hungry?”

“Mmm,” replied Lexy as she threw her leg over Jaebeom's and snuggled closer.

“I was talking about food, but this is better.”

“That food wasn't near enough, so how about after showers we see if the others want to meet up for a bite?” suggested Jaebeom.

“Sounds like a plan. I'll call Jinyoung and see if we can meet at his bookstore café in an hour or so. He can get with Jackson. If that location works I can call Celeste as well. Would you be able to reach your crew?”

Snuggled next to each other they made their calls one after the other, then Jaebeom suggested he shower first.

“I was lonely and cold. Can I join you?” Lexy asked shyly as she opened the bathroom door.

Jaebeom couldn't help beaming at the suggestion. He loved the idea but had been hesitant to suggest it in case she thought he was too forward or demanding.

“What took you so long?” asked Jackson of Jaebeom and Lexy. “You were the ones to set the time and you come sauntering in 30 minutes late!”

At that he reached Lexy's side and gave her a big hug. Noting the rather piqued expression on Jaebeom's face, he let the girl go and fairly bounced over to give Jaebeom a hug too. Jackson, quickly pulled back and looked between the two with a question on his face.

“Same shampoo,” he noted quietly, and surprisingly sensitive to the others hearing his comment. “Are congratulations in order?" he asked with his head tilted to the side, eyebrows raised and a grin on his face, which quickly disappeared after seing the murderous look given him by Jaebeom.

“Well then, I guess I'll keep quiet and let you do your thing.” the Hong Kong native said, releasing the elder as if he were afraid for his life.

Bambam and Yugyeom were sitting side by side chatting up a storm. The three enlisted guys were trying to read the coffee bar menu. Celeste had brought Gordy with her and they were not so secretly holding hands, which made Lexy very happy for her friend. Mark had also been invited by Jaebeom in recognition of his help in the hanger. Finally, Jinyoung asked for details about the additional arrest of the Deputy Wing Commander, so Jaebeom filled them all in.

“We still don't know where any of the human trafficking victims are or what those numbers were all about. There was a particularly weird one that was the only one in red,” explained Jaebeom, who went on to share the unique number.

CRASH!

Everyone turned to look, only to see Youngjae the barista standing there with his mouth gaping having dropped the, thankfully empty, tray in his hand.

“Youngja ah?” asked Jinyoung. “Are you alright?”

“I'm. I'm sorry,” he stuttered. “I thought you, Jackson, and Jaebeom were part of the trafficking ring. You mean all the while you weren't? You were trying to help?” he asked, tears of happiness streaming down his beautiful face.

The group had forgotten that Youngjae had not been in the loop. He must have been startled by the conversation, but they were equally as surprised that he knew about the trafficking problem since the bookstore café was all but exempt from juicy girl issues and very few literate coffee drinkings were into drugs.

After their recounting of how things went down and the part each of them played, Youngjae said in a very serious tone, “I need to show you something. Follow me.”

With that Youngjae didn't wait, but turned and headed towards the bookshelf on the back wall of the café. Stopping in front of the section filled will reference books, Youngjae proceeded to explain why they were there. 

“This building has been here for many decades. It's just been refurbished over time. In 1931 it was used by Korean independence fighters. At that time, their goal was to protect young women from being forced into the role of Comfort Women at the hands of the Japanese. A month before you took over the coffee shop, a man with your same name came in and told me the history of the building and that it was needed once again to protect women and children from human trafficking. I've been using it behind your back for that purpose ever since. Mr. Park took me to the church on the outskirts of the city to show me where people initially brought here would be housed until the trafficking situation was brought under control. We weren't able to help everyone, but at least 200 young women and children have been saved from the fate intended by those monsters.”

With that, Youngjae reached up for a book labeled with the Dewey Decimal number beginning with 504, a number no longer assigned and not in use in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics category, that matched the red one on the paper secured by Lexy and Jaebeom. The book was entitle “Menopausal Women: Menstruation and Hot Flashes.”

Youngjae laughed a bit before noting, “We had to find a book you wouldn't dream of reading in your lifetime Jinyoung Hyung. That was a challenge since you read just about everything,” and with that he removed the book and reached behind it and, with a bit of effort, pulled a lever that caused the entire wall to open into a staircase leading to a secret room below.

Everyone just stood there gaping. And then quietly, almost reverently, descended into a secret room that housed cots, a portable shower and toilet, and a door leading to a tunnel.

Even Bambam was stunned by the historical and current implications of the room's need and the plight of its many former occupants.

“You did well Youngjae ah,” said Jaebeom and Jinyoung almost in perfect unison. 

“Now to reunite those people with their families, who I am sure will be thrilled to know they are safe. Though they've faced an horrific ordeal, it would have been way worse but for your help. Maybe they'll even have some information that'll help recover the others.”

As they ascended the stairs, the mood was still very somber. In the café section stood a tall middle aged man wearing an overly tight shirt showing off his muscles. His face look a bit like a troll, but he had an infectious smile on his face. 

“Park Jin Young,” he introduced himself. “You all have been instrumental in helping in areas we just couldn't. The need for Korean and American cooperation was a missing factor we couldn't solve. Preventing the traffickers from getting that paper was vital to ensure the room below wasn't discovered. They'd figured out roughly were we were initially staging people. If they'd gotten that number, they just might have narrowed their searches to this book cafe and the access to the secure hiding room. We're not yet sure how the information was compromised and how it ended up in their potential possession, but we are thankful for your help.”

After some additional conversation and exchange of contact information, which was promptly called into General Hammon and those now in charge of the rest of the investigation, Mr. Park bid farewell to everyone. Bit Na, AKA Officer Go Soo Ri was also contacted and informed on the off chance her sister was among those recovered by Mr. Park with the help of Youngjae.

“Time to close up shop for the day. Youngjae ah, join us for dinner, okay!” announced Jinyoung.

The thirteen made their way to the restaurant where Jaebeom and Lexy had first gone upon his arrival at Osan. Piling into the little Mom and Pop store, they ordered tons of food and drinks all around. 

“So when're you gonna make it official?” Jackson whispered to Jaebeom gesturing his head suggestively towards Lexy at his side.

“Right now.”

Standing up and tapping his metal chopsticks on the side of his glass, Jaebeom cleared his throat and began, “I'd like everyone's attention for a moment.”

All eyes were on him, then he began first by thanking everyone for their contributions. One by one he detailed how they made the operation successful. The last person he came to was Lexy.

Smiling down at Lexy, he offered, “Lexy has been my right hand on this from the day of my arrival here. Contrary to what we told everyone, we never met before that first day. I was planted with a back story of having known her from the JAG school to explain why we'd go on vacation together. We needed that time to create a cover story. Lexy knew I was pretending to go rogue and...,” here he paused. Looking at the faces of those at the table, he could tell everyone was stunned by his revelation. 

Jaebeom then turned his full attention to Lexy. “I may not have known you for three plus years, but I feel as though I've known you my whole life. I respect you as a lawyer, as my team mate in this escapade, and above all, I love you.”

The whole group started clapping and cat calling as Jaebeom leaned down and kissed Lexy rather passionately for the setting.

“Well, it's about time.”

“I knew it! I always knew it!”

“You weren't very good at hiding it,” and other comments were thrown out by those at the table.

Jackson wiggled his eyebrows and merely said, “Shampoo” before ducking from an inevitable cuffing and a tongue lashing for being crude.

Jinyoung left his seat from the other side of the table and joined Jaebeom. While shaking hands with one hand and patting the elder on the shoulder with the other, Jinyoung offered, “Well I gave it my best try, but I wasn't even in the running. Congratulations Hyung.”

Lexy was a little shy about the announcement since Jaebeom hadn't mentioned he was going to make anything public, but at the same time she felt pleased that they no longer had to hide their relationship or history.

“You sure had me fooled,” Celeste said to Lexy. "I mean that first day, I could have sworn you'd known each other forever, especially when he called you Lexy."

Looking over at Jaebeom. Lexy smiled then told her friend who had originally called her Lexy, and why she went by Alex with everyone else, Jaebeom being the exception.

Several hours later Jaebeom announced that he and Lexy were leaving, as they needed to hit the commissary before closing at 1900 hours. 

Jackson was the only one who waggled his finger at them and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively while moving swiftly out of reach from Jaebeom's wrath yet again.

It was a scene of domestic tranquility as they put the groceries away. When they were done, Jaebeom reached for Lexy and held her tightly. “Get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow, okay?” With that, he kissed her lightly on the forehead and extricated himself.

Before he could go too far, Lexy reached for his hand and pulled him back. “Is there a reason you have to go?” she asked in a searching voice.

“I didn't want to presume anything,” came the response, followed by a slow and passionate kiss that just heated up as the seconds passed. In the back of his mind, Jaebeom mentally noted that he'd need to leave another note for the ajumma.


	32. Forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexy leaves Korea for her new assignment in the States, but doesn't hear from Jaebeom for three months. Has distance come between them permanently?

Jaebeom was quiet on the drive to Inchon Airport. He'd spent the last three months as a witness, along with Lexy and the others, in courts-martial trials to see that those involved in the human trafficking and drug ring were put behind bars and their criminal enterprise was dismantled on both the US and Korean side. He'd also basically moved in with Lexi, spending sweet nights holding her in his arms and waking up to her warmth. But today he was seeing her off, as her duty station assignment had finally come through. In a few days he too would be leaving Korea to attend the JAG school where he would finally undergo his official training. His follow on assignment was still up in the air given his conversation with General Hammond from the day before.

“No matter what, please know and remember that I love you,” Jaebeom said as he gave Lexy one last embrace and kissed her on the forehead before she went through security.

“Alright. I'll remember that. Remember I love you back. I'll call you when I arrive, and in six weeks when my training is done I'll take a long weekend and head down to Maxwell for a long weekend. Montgomery isn't that far from DC, but six weeks will seem like forever. Promise me you'll think of me?”

“I always think of you.”

As Lexy entered the security area, Jaebeom waited until he could no longer see her, then he turned and returned to base. He had a lot to do before departing for Alabama. He thought about what General Hammond had told him the day before and took a deep breath letting the air out slowly, willing himself to be optimistic.

Just the day before Jaebeom got word that one of the higher ranking Korean officials, who had been outed by Lumbard in a plea deal, had implicated him as a co-conspirator. As a dual citizen, he was subject to the laws of both the US military and Korea. It had taken significant influence and negotiation on the part of the general to arrange Jaebeom's departure for training at Maxwell AFB, but it came with the caveat that if he was not exonerated during the investigation he would be extradited back to Korea and face trial.

“Write out a list of people you think will help in your defense,” the general had instructed the junior officer.

The list Jaebeom gave him set out the following people:

Wang Jai'er (Jackson)  
Park Jin Young  
Officer Go Soo Ri  
Captain Gordon Wells  
Captain Celeste Randall  
SSgt Michael Kowalski  
TSgt Brian Griggs  
SSgt Jim Dawson  
Special Agent Mark Tuan  
Kim Yugyeom  
Choi Youngjae  
Kunpimook Bhuwakul (AKA Bambam)

“You left Captain Stark off the list,” observed the general, eyebrows raised. “She's your strongest defense.”

“I don't want her orders cancelled or have her reputation in any way brought into question. She's worked too hard to get the position as Medical Law Consultant (MLC). That's a major's billet and she was selected for it well below the zone. If she has to stay here for an investigation because of me...” Jaebeom shook his head before continuing, “I'll take my chances that the testimony of the others, and the transcripts from the USAF trials of her interaction with me during this, is strong enough. As far as I'm concerned, this is nonnegotiable. Please just wait to give this list to the Korean authorities until after her flight departs tomorrow.”

Hammond nodded his head acquiescing to the plea despite his reservations. He knew Captain Im well enough by now to know it was a losing argument to pursue it any further.

Lexy checked the time. She worried when Jaebeom didn't answer after the fifth time she called. Her first thought was that he'd been in an accident on the way back to base. Traffic on that stretch of the highway was horrific. Unsettled, she tried calling Celeste who volunteered that Jaebeom was doing out processing. She then enthusiastically shared that she and Gordy had both decided to extend their tours for another year so they “could be assigned at the same installation and see if their relationship would progress to something more permanent.”

Lexy hung up, thankful to hear Jaebeom had returned to base safely, but confused by the fact that he wasn't taking her calls.

Over the next six weeks while she was in training to become the Medical Law Consultant at Malcolm-Grow Medical Center on Andrews Air Force Base, she continued trying to call Jaebeom. He never picked up or called. He also never replied to any of the texts she sent. Jackson and Jinyoung mentioned they'd spoken with him, and that he'd settled in at the JAG school. They pointedly avoided discussing his lack of communication with Lexy during their communications.

Lexy had stopped calling after the sixth week, but the unanswered texts told of her concerns and heartache:

Hey! I arrived in DC.  
I tried calling, but it went to voice mail.  
Guess you're busy.

Can you let me know you got back to base safely?  
I'm worried you got in an accident.

Celeste said you made it back safely.  
I'm relieved. I thought maybe....  
But why aren't you picking up?

Did I do something wrong?  
Are you angry at me for some reason?

I've tried calling at different times.  
Have you blocked me?  
What the hell Jaebeom!

It's been five weeks and I know you're at Maxwell.  
Does your silence mean you don't want me to come visit?  
I miss you. Guess I'm the only one.

I feel like my texting and calling you is making things worse.  
Should I stop?

I'm glad I've been busy.  
The down time is lonely and I keep second guessing why I haven't heard from you.

Two months. Nothing.  
Can I have some closure at least?

I started off worried, then got sad.  
Now I'm angry and feel used.  
Was I a joke to you?  
Was I the only one who was in love?

I thought you would at least reply to that last text.  
Guess you really don't care.

I decided something. My love for you isn't dependent upon your love for me.  
No matter what I will always remember the time we had together as a good thing.  
Guess I selfishly wanted it to continue.  
In any case, the last thing you said to me was that you loved me and I should remember that no matter what.  
You also said you always think of me.  
I don't understand why I'm getting the silent treatment but, until I hear you tell be differently I'm gonna just hold onto that.  
If I'm right, you better have a good excuse!

Hopeful still.  
Maybe I'm a fool? 

You should be finishing up at the JAG school right about now.  
Congratulations!

Leaving for Korea and Juju-do tomorrow.  
Thought the next time I went there would be with you.  
Guess not. Not sure this is such a good idea, but General Hammond already bought my ticket and paid for the resort.  
It's bitter sweet.  
This will be my last text to you.  
I love you. Goodbye 

Every time Lexy called or his notification for a message went off, Jaebeom had to steal himself not to answer or reply. The investigation looked like it was going favorably for him, but he didn't want to drag Lexy into it in case it turned against him. The Korean legal system wasn't quite like the US system, so the best he could be was guardedly optimistic.

Lexy arrived at the resort in Jeju-do. She thought the general had really gone above and beyond by arranging for a reservist cover her duties at the hospital for two weeks and paying for her hotel stay for that time frame. After all, her original vacation was only a four day long weekend. She definitely came out ahead on the deal. The only negative was that she was spending the time alone.

Lexy had finished unpacking and was getting ready to set out for walk on the beach when there was a knock at the door. Thinking it was maybe housekeeping with the extra towels she'd requested, she opened the door.

Standing there was none other than Jaebeom.

“Hi,” Jaebeom offered tentatively.

Lexy froze for a moment and then slammed the door in his face. Then a moment later she opened it again. Jaebeom was still there looking even more sheepish than before.

“I thought maybe I was hallucinating.” she explained.

“I'm sorry,” he offered simply. “By the way I haven't stopped loving you and I promise I have a good excuse. Actually it's a really great one. Would you be willing to go for a walk on the beach with me while I tell you why I was acting like a jerk?”

Lexy bit her bottom lip and slowly nodded her head. She was pretty sure that even if he gave a lame ass excuse she would accept it, but she figured she might as well hear him out.

They started out walking slowly and in silence. The waves crashed on the shore and the sea gulls screeched overhead as they walked barefoot through the sand. Finally Jaebeom stopped and face Lexy.

“I was accused by one of the Korean officers of being part of the trafficking ring,” he began. “Since I'm a dual citizen I was subject to their laws as well as the Air Force's. I needed to clear my name and wasn't sure if I'd be successful.” Jaebeom continued on, explaining how he didn't want to hold up or have her assignment as an MLC cancelled or drag her reputation through the mud. 

“I only found out the day before yesterday that all the charges were dropped. General Hammond stood by me and so did all the others. It was hard on them not telling you the truth. Jackson especially hated how hurt you were and nearly told you on a number of occasions. Every time you called or sent me a text I was afraid that you'd tell me you hated me and wouldn't ever see me to give me a chance to explain.”

Lexy listened as Jaebeom apologized,

“As much as it hurt to think you didn't want me any more, what really got me was when I thought you might've been killed in an accident on the way back to base. Losing you, like I lost Chris, would have really wrecked me. Knowing you were alive, even if you hated me for some reason, was preferable.”

“Can you forgive me? Maybe not right now, but at some point?” he asked tentatively.

“As long as you promise this is the last time you keep secrets from me, even if you think it's in my best interest.”

“Done,” he said as he reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear and then stopped to caress her face. “I've missed you so much Lexy girl.”

Closing the space between them, Jaebeom gently kissed the top of her forehead and then bent down to press his lips tentatively to hers. Unlike their first kiss, Lexy didn't hesitate to respond and threw her arms around his neck.


	33. Epilogue

The elderly man sat in the living room pretending to watch the news on the TV. 

“I'm heading to the NEX. Back in about an hour,” his wife announced without waiting for a reply, which was probably just as well since none was forthcoming.

Hearing the door close, the man reached for his phone and began his daily ritual. Over the years his efforts had yielded very few results. Most days he was left empty. On the few occasions when something came up, the pain in his chest was even worse, if that were even possible.

Today was one of those days. Like the times he got news about a graduation, admission to the bar, and commission in the USAF, news of his daughter rocked his world and took his breath away.

“Captains Alexandra Stark and Jaebeom Im were awarded the Meritorious Service Medal …” began the article in the Air Force Times. The retired Navy officer read about his daughter's instrumental role in busting a human and drug trafficking ring while stationed in South Korea.

He read further, “Captain Stark is currently assigned to a major's billet as the Medical Law Consultant (MLC) at Andrews Air Force Base. In addition to serving as the legal officer for Malcolm-Grow Medical Center, she is also responsible for overseeing medical malpractice claims made against eight other Air Force installations and coordinators the six-week-long training course for new MLC's. Captain Im is currently assigned as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate at the base legal office, serving in the role of Chief of Military Justice.”

“Lexy and I,” the article reported Captain Im as saying, “are getting married in six months. When you go through what we've experienced, you really get to know one another. I can tell you that she isn't only an excellent lawyer, but a brave, strong lady who I love beyond measure. She's been through a lot in her life and, through it all, has defied all odds by remaining kind and gentle.”

As the older man read that the two captains were engaged to be married and her fiance called her the same name his son had, tears silently cascading down his face. Standing, he walked to the kitchen and opened the cabinet next to the microwave. His hand hovered over the bottle of scotch that had remain there, unopened, since the day his daughter's emaciation petition had been granted. Swallowing hard, he pulled back and closed the cabinet door. Taking a deep breath, he reached into his pocket and held onto the 10 year AA coin for a moment before calling his sponsor.

“She's finally happy. She's getting married. I think I might be able to start forgiving myself now. Maybe I can even imagine her forgiving me some day, though I would never ask that of her,” he told the man on the other end of the phone, as his eyes wandered to the space in front of his and his wife's bedroom door where he could see the ghost of a small child curled up sleeping on the floor.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading "Trafficked." I hope you liked it. Thanks for any comments or kudos given. Nothing inspires a writer more than feedback. It is such an encouragement and incentive to keep going. I have another short story which will be uploaded next. Look out for "One Night Stand."


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